2 reasons why the Angels signing Marcus Stroman would make sense, 1 why it wouldn't

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Free agency was expected to pick up once Shohei Ohtani finally made his decision to sign with the Dodgers, but Ohtani's signing has had the opposite effect. Things have slowed down to where there has been virtually no activity since Ohtani made his decision. Tyler Glasnow was traded, but the biggest free agency signings have been guys like Jung Hoo Lee and Seth Lugo.

The quietness has spread to the Los Angeles Angels as well, who have done nothing since watching Ohtani go to their crosstown rivals. We haven't even heard the Halos rumored to be in on many players until yesterday when Robert Murray of FanSided said that they've had conversations with Marcus Stroman's agent on The Baseball Insider's podcast.

On the #Angels:

“I know they’ve had conversations with Marcus Stroman’s agent.”

“I would not read into the fact that Stroman’s someone they talked too, but they like Stroman.” https://t.co/rJ1JlDhyj7
— Beyond The Halo (@BeyondTheHalo) December 18, 2023

Murray doesn't say how interested the Angels are or that they're going to even give him an offer, but the fact that they've had conversations tells you that there's some level of interest there. This Angels team needs starting pitching, and there's no doubt that Stroman is a good pitcher. There are a couple of reasons why signing Stroman would make sense for the Angels, but it's not a perfect fit by any means.

The LA Angels signing Marcus Stroman would make sense because of the Perry Minasian connection

Perry Minasian has been the Angels GM since the 2020 offseason, but before that worked in different roles in other organizations. One role he had was with the Toronto Blue Jays organization as a scout. He began working there in 2009 and was with Toronto for nine years before becoming Alex Anthopoulos' assistant GM in Atlanta. Marcus Stroman was drafted in the first round of the 2012 Draft by the Jays.

Minasian saw Stroman work his way through the minors and make his MLB debut in 2014. He saw him come back quickly from a torn ACL and help the Jays in the 2015 playoffs. He saw Stroman hit the 200+ inning mark in 2016 and 2017 developing his reputation as a workhorse.

Stroman and Minasian had mutual interest in the 2021 offseason before the right-hander signed his free agent contract with the Cubs. Perhaps this is the offseason they connect on a deal. Perry obviously likes him at least somewhat.

Could be a great fit.
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) November 3, 2021

The connection doesn't guarantee a deal by any means, but it certainly doesn't hurt. It could be what helps cross this over the finish line.

The LA Angels signing Marcus Stroman would make sense because of the style of pitcher he is

Stroman is not the kind of pitcher you think of when you think of typical frontline starters. Standing at just 5'7", Stroman is far from overpowering. In fact, he averaged just 91.4 mph with his sinker this past season. That's not Tyler Anderson slow, but it's certainly not fast for the modern game. Stroman isn't a huge strikeout guy with stuff that will blow hitters away. He's a pitcher who simply knows how to pitch and more importantly, keeps the ball on the ground.

Stroman's ability to throw six different pitches is something most pitchers don't do nowadays. He threw all six of his pitches at least 5.2% of the time in 2023, making it hard for hitters to guess what's coming. The pitch he threw the most by far was his sinker, and it's not hard to see that in his results. Stroman generated ground balls at a 57.4% rate this past season, right around his career average of 57.9%. He ranked in the 94th percentile in GB% according to baseball savant which puts him among the league's elite.

With Ron Washington as the team's new manager, team defense should be much improved for this Angels team. It wasn't great in 2023, but the Angels have the pieces to be at least solid in that area.

Their middle infield of Zach Neto and Brandon Drury played better than expected in the field this past season. Nolan Schanuel had his rocky moments but should only get better as he gains experience. Anthony Rendon had a miserable go of it in the field when healthy this past season but has been a good defender in the past. It's not out of the realm of possibility that he can be decent enough at the hot corner when he's on the field.

The LA Angels signing Marcus Stroman wouldn't make sense because the team needs to make a bigger addition to the rotation

Is Marcus Stroman an upgrade for the Angels? Absolutely. He'd pretty easily be their Opening Day starter and should be a fine add if the Angels did sign him. With that being said, this Angels team really needs an ace. Stroman is simply not that.

This past season, the right-hander posted a 3.95 ERA in 27 appearances (25 starts) for Chicago. He got off to an excellent start, posting a 2.96 ERA in the first half and even making the all-star team. The second half was a different story, as he missed time due to injury and posted an 8.63 ERA. Seeing that kind of a drop-off from a pitcher who will be 33 in May is less than ideal.

Stroman as a second arm the Angels bring in would be very solid. Unfortunately, it feels like if the Angels were to sign Stroman, he'd be their biggest starting pitcher addition. For a team that had a subpar rotation with Shohei Ohtani, replacing him with Stroman feels like a major downgrade.

This feels like a move the Angels would say makes them competitive, but in reality has them in a worse spot than they were already in. Stroman's innings would come in handy and the team could use his durability (25+ starts made in six of the last seven full seasons) but he fits more in the middle of a rotation than at the top. That's the only issue with this.

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