Are the Angels 2025 additions better than their 2024 counterparts?

The Angels certainly needed some upgrades after a dismal 63-99 season, and while the team shouldn't be done adding they've made four significant moves that impact the major-league roster.

Each of these players is more or less a direct replacement for a member of the 2024 team who has since departed. As such, it's important to ask with each move did the Angels get better, stay the same, or get worse with each of the new faces they've added?

Is Yusei Kikuchi an upgrade over Patrick Sandoval?

Patrick Sandoval 2024 stats: 16 starts, 79.2 innings pitched, 5.08 ERA, 3.87 FIP, 1.2 fWAR

Yusei Kikuchi 2024 stats: 32 starts, 175.2 innings pitched, 4.05 ERA, 3.46 FIP, 3.5 fWAR

On the surface this is an easy one, Kikuchi was brought in to replace Sandoval as the top lefty-starter in the rotation, a role the former Angel would have been unlikely to fulfill after sustaining an elbow injury that required surgery last year. His availability for the 2025 season will be limited and could be non-existent, making Kikuchi the winner by default.

That said, there's a bit more than meets the eye. Sandoval was a surprise non-tender earlier in the offseason, a move that has proven to be very controversial. Despite a bloated ERA and his injury, many believe he is still a quality pitcher, even though his contributions in 2025 may be minimal.

Kikuchi on the basis of availability is poised to fill the innings that Sandoval could not, but his 2024 season was not as rosy as the final numbers look. Prior to being traded to the Houston Astros, Kikuchi had put together a line that was similar to Sandoval's, making 22 starts north of the border and tossing 115.2 innings to the tune of a 4.75 ERA.

He was markedly better after the tweaks he made with the Astros posting a 2.70 ERA in 10 starts and 60 innings. That's the pitcher the Halos hope that they're getting, but only time will tell.

For their careers, Sandoval has actually outperformed Kikuchi. For his career, Sandoval owns a 4.01 ERA and 3.96 FIP versus Kikuchi's career marks of a 4.57 ERA and 4.53 FIP.

Contractually, Sandoval was much cheaper too as he was still under team control while Kikuchi signed for three years and $63 million. One could argue that Kikuchi is on the upswing while Sandoval has hit a wall, but that would mostly be betting on Kikuchi's small sample size with the Astros and would seem unlikely due to age as Sandoval is just entering his prime at 28 while Kikuchi will turn 34 in June.

At the end of the day, what matters is who can fill the role best in 2025, and almost by default, the answer is Kikuchi due to health. Sandoval's uncertain status for 2025 made him an unreliable option to fill this role, and while you can quibble and say he shouldn't have been non-tendered you'd be hard-pressed to argue that he is a better option for 2025 than Kikuchi.

Verdict – Yusei Kikuchi

Is Jorge Soler a sure-fire upgrade over Willie Calhoun at DH?

Willie Calhoun 2024 stats: 254 plate appearances, 5 homers, 245/.315/.380, 96 wRC+, 0.0 fWAR

Jorge Soler 2024 stats: 574 plate appearances, 21 homers, .241/.338/.442, 119 wRC+, 1.1 fWAR

The Angels used a plethora of players at DH receiving pitiful results in 2024, but if one player was the primary DH it was Willie Calhoun despite signing a minor league deal last offseason and being DFA'd by August.

This one is an easy one, of course, as Soler has an extensive track record of success as a hitter while Calhoun, despite having the occasional power streak, is a fringe major leaguer as evidenced by the minor league deal he signed.

Still, there were a variety of DH options the Angels could have considered this offseason and Soler was clearly the best one and could go from a good hitter to a great hitter if the Halos decide to fully unlock him and put him in the best position for him to succeed.

There's no mystery here, out of all the moves the Angels have made this one is by far a slam dunk and the clearest example of the team finding a massive upgrade. Going from the definition of a replacement-level hitter to an above-average one who brings power the team was sorely lacking is exactly what they needed to do heading into the offseason. Bonus points for getting it done early, and at minimal cost.

Verdict – Soler

Will 2025 Kyle Hendricks be better than 2024 Griffin Canning?

Griffin Canning 2024 stats: 31 starts, 171.2 innings, 5.19 ERA, 5.26 FIP, 0.2 fWAR

Kyle Hendricks 2024 stats: 24 starts, 130.2 innings, 5.92 ERA, 4.98 FIP, 0.4 fWAR

This one might be the closest call. Looking at those stat lines, there's not much to excite you about either player. On the one hand, saying goodbye to a player in Canning who had the dubious distinction of leading the American League in earned runs allowed in 2024 is not a bad thing, but given his performance last year it's possible Hendricks could do the same if given the same volume of innings.

Zooming out a bit, Hendricks looks like a slightly better bet. His 2023 season in which he posted a 3.74 ERA in 137 innings is better than any season of Canning's career, though the two seasons that preceded 2023 he pitched to about a 4.80 ERA mark.

The difference between these two hurlers is not so much what you're going to get on the field, but rather the intangible contributions you'll get off of it. Canning was a top prospect who had never realized his potential. Prior to last season, his career high in innings pitched in a single season was just 127 which came in 2023. Before that, he never managed to crack the 100-innings pitched threshold between his debut in 2019 and his lost season due to injury in 2022.

Poor performance and injuries have held him back, and now entering his age-29 season, his once-enticing potential has been significantly diminished. Hendricks, on the other hand, never had that elite potential, but he does have a track record of success earlier in his career.

The 35-year-old once led the league in ERA with a 2.13 mark in 2016. He has two top-ten Cy Young finishes on his resume including finishing third in the voting in 2016 and ninth in 2020. Hendricks never did it with overwhelming stuff. Instead, he specializes in location, changing speeds and eye levels, and setting up hitters from one pitch to the next to generate soft contact.

With young pitchers like Jose Soriano, Reid Detmers, and more on the roster, that experience and guidance can be valuable. Canning is a guy with all the tools who never put it together, whereas Hendricks never had elite tools but found success through the art of pitching. That makes him a valuable resource for the youngsters and essentially makes him an extension of the coaching staff.

You could say that isn't enough of an upgrade on the field considering the state of the Angels' rotation. You'd like to see someone added who is a surefire bet to be an improvement over Cannings, and while there's a chance Hendricks performs better, it's far from a guarantee.

Still, the intangibles he brings are enough to tip the scales in his favor. In the most marginal of ways, Hendricks is an upgrade over Canning.

Verdict - Hendricks

is Kevin Newman an upgrade over Luis Rengifo as the Angels' primary utility infielder?

Luis Rengifo 2024 stats: 304 plate appearances, 6 homers, .300/.347/.417, 117 wRC+, 1.4 fWAR

Kevin Newman 2024 stats: 311 plate appearances, 3 homers, .278/.311/.375, 87 wRC+, 1.4 fWAR

This one is a bit harder to parse because while Rengifo was a quasi-utility man last year, he was pretty much an everyday player despite bouncing around before his injury. He's also not a pure shortstop like Newman.

However, Rengifo is essentially getting a promotion and will likely be the starting second or third baseman meaning a role has opened for the job of first infielder off the bench. This is where Newman comes into play.

Last season, they both finished with 1.4 fWAR in an almost equal number of plate appearances, though they arrived at that number in different ways. Rengifo was more productive offensively, especially in the power department where he posted an ISO of .117 versus a mark of .097 for Newman.

Newman, on the other hand, derived most of his value from his defense, particularly as a shortstop. Across all positions he played last year he registered a stellar 10 defensive runs saved. Rengifo was significantly worse with a -4 DRS.

The fit is better with Newman coming in as the utility player and defensive replacement, and it doesn't hurt that he has some contact skills and isn't a complete black hole with the bat. Rengifo should benefit from an everyday role and could theoretically perform even better offensively with a set position and the consistency of being in the lineup every day.

As far is whether or not Newman is a direct upgrade to Rengifo in the utility role, well that's not entirely clear. Different, yes, and having both on the same team is better overall, but head-to-head there is no clear winner.

Verdict - Push

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