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

When Shohei Ohtani finally signed with the Dodgers, every MLB insider claimed that his decision would break the ice, and the offseason would officially begin. The weeks of inactivity would finally come to an end. Well, that hasn't happened at all.

The best position player, Ohtani, is finally off the board, but the market is still moving at a snail's pace. The reason behind that is that the best pitcher (who can actually pitch in 2024), Yoshinobu Yamamoto, remains on the market. It feels like every big market team is in on him in some capacity. Well, every big market team except for the Los Angeles Angels.

Why the Angels are not in on the 25-year-old phenom is a question I cannot answer, but while the league waits for him to finally make his long-awaited decision, the Angels can be proactive by making other additions. The frontline starters like Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery won't sign until Yamamoto does, but the rest of the market should be unaffected by what he decides to do. These three players make a whole lot of sense.

1) The Angels should sign Matt Moore while the league waits

If Matt Moore is willing to come back to Anaheim, there's no reason why the Angels should not be all over it. The Angels signed the southpaw to a one-year deal last offseason, and he wound up being their most consistent reliever until the team opted to shed some salary at the end of August.

Moore did miss time due to injury, but posted a 2.66 ERA in 41 appearances and 44 innings pitched for the Angels. He worked primarily as Carlos Estevez's set-up man, and recorded 20 holds with just a pair of blown saves. Those blown saves came at the end of his Angels tenure when the team was already out of contention.

The 34-year-old proved to be a valuable arm against both righties and lefties, and could even go more than an inning whenever they needed it. The fact that Moore is left-handed would be very helpful as well. The lefties right now in this bullpen are Adam Kolarek (yikes) and Jose Suarez (bigger yikes). The Angels lack any sort of late-game left-handed reliever, and Moore would be a perfect fit.

This Angels bullpen needs a lot of help even after the additions of Kolarek, Adam Cimber, and Luis Garcia. Bringing Moore back to Anaheim would go a long way.

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.