3 Angels spring training overreactions after first week of action

The LA Angels should go all-in on Blake Snell

The Angels starting rotation definitely took a hit when Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angels Dodgers. Now, one of the best pitchers in the game, despite the fact he's not pitching this season, will not be suiting up for the Halos this season.

That does allow the Angels to go back to a traditional five-man rotation. The quintet of Tyler Anderson, Patrick Sandoval, Reid Detmers, Griffin Canning, and Chase Silseth are the leading candidates for the Angels starting rotation at the moment.

But Blake Snell is still a free agent and has been linked to the Angels as recently as this past week. And while Snell should remain on the Angels' radar until he's signed by the Halos or another team, there's no reason to go all-in on the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner.

That may sound like foolish advice, given the five pitchers LA is looking to run out in 2024, but Snell is still on the open market for a reason. Another Scott Boras client, Cody Bellinger, recently took a short-term contract with the Chicago Cubs after failing to get the type of deal he was looking for.

The market for these talented, yet flawed, star players is coming down. Given that LA is likely competing for fourth place in the AL West during the upcoming season, is it really worth it to go all-in on Snell? If the Angels are able to snare the southpaw on a team-friendly, short-term contract, that may be worth it. But the Halos have no need to shove all their chips to the middle of the table for a pitcher who led the league in walks last season.