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

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.