3 Angels free agent targets to sign while everyone else is distracted by Yoshinobu Yamamoto

2) The Angels should sign Justin Turner while the league waits

Losing Shohei Ohtani is a big blow that the Angels can't recover from by signing just one player. There's a reason he's the best player on the planet and got a $700 million contract. While they can't expect anyone to give that production, the Angels would really benefit from adding a middle-of-the-order bat. Justin Turner makes sense as that guy for a bunch of reasons.

First, Turner can DH but also play the field. Ohtani, as great as he is, only slots into the DH spot. That takes away a lot of flexibility from a team that could use the DH for some injury prone players like Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon. If and when Rendon goes down with an injury, Turner can slot into the hot corner. He can also play both first base and second base. Ideally Turner would slot in as the primary DH, but can move around if they need it. That'd come in handy.

Second, despite his age, Turner is still quite good. This past season for Boston, he slashed .273/.345/.455 with 23 home runs and 96 RBI. He fit perfectly in the middle of one of the best offenses in the American League, and performed at a borderline all-star level for much of the season. He did this in the same role the Angels would have him in, the primary DH with the ability to move around if needed.

Third, Turner can help the Angels in an area where they struggled mightily in 2023. Clutch hitting. Throughout his entire career Turner has been incredibly clutch even dating back to his early days with the Mets, and he'd help this team dramatically in big moments. This past season with Boston, Turner hit .338 with a .943 OPS with runners in scoring position. His average was 65 points higher, and his OPS was nearly 150 points higher in clutch spots. With two outs and RISP, Turner was even better, putting up a 1.002 OPS.

The fit is seamless. The question is if Turner is willing to join a team that doesn't have championship aspirations. It likely won't happen, but it certainly should if Turner is open to it.