Ken Rosenthal leaves the door open for idle Angels to sign prominent free agents

Any front office weighs the risk vs. reward of acquiring big-name free agents, especially those with cheap ownership -- like the Angels. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal went into great detail as to what the risk would be for the perpetually aggravating Arte Moreno, and how it really is blown out of proportion. Rosenthal is dubious as to whether or not splurging on a big-name free agent is the right move for the Angels (many fans agree), but Moreno said himself that the team wants to contend in 2025. If that is the case, Rosenthal's article clearly illuminates that signing a free agent who was offered a qualifying offer would not set the franchise back much, even if the team does not actually make the playoffs in 2025.

Rosenthal specified exactly what the Angels would give up if they acquired one or two of the free agents with an attached qualifying offer:

"The Angels hold the No. 2 pick in the draft. If they signed a qualified free agent, they would lose their second-highest selection, which is likely to be No. 47, and $500,000 from their international bonus pool. The only 47th pick in the last 25 years to compile more than 5 career bWAR is Matt Olson, who is at 32.8. The signing of a second qualified free agent would cost the Angels their third-highest selection, likely to be No. 81, and another $500,000 in international bonus space. But the Angels gained an additional third-round selection, likely to be No. 107, after failing to sign the No. 81 overall pick last year, left-hander Ryan Prager."

Ken Rosenthal

Of the four remaining free agents who rejected a qualifying offer, the Angels reportedly are interested in two of them: Pete Alonso and Anthony Santander. It would be shocking if the Angels landed Alex Bregman or Nick Pivetta, the other two qualified free agents. Basically, the issue is money and years. Well, Santander's next contract is not expected to exceed $100 million, and Alonso's will include at least one opt-out. Those are reasonable deals for a team that desperately needs marquee sluggers. While Alonso or Bregman would create some logistical issues with the roster and their defense/lack of athleticism is not ideal, they would be welcome sights in Anaheim. The Angels need to be competitive next season more than any other team in the league.

The Angels certainly should not be throwing draft picks away for nothing, but signing a Santander or Alonso is not that. If anything, losing the 47th pick would free up money for them to not go under-slot value with the 2nd pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.

While Rosenthal would not be surprised to see the Angels land another high-priced free agent, Angels fans certainly would. There's zero chance Moreno will pony-up for two of the remaining qualified free agents (as that would require paying the luxury tax), but we appreciate Rosenthal for laying out what that would look like in terms of draft picks lost in the third round.

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