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3 biggest areas of need for the Angels to address this offseason

By Zachary Rotman |
Oct 2, 2022; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels third baseman Luis Rengifo (2) and center
Oct 2, 2022; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels third baseman Luis Rengifo (2) and center / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
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The Los Angeles Angels missed the playoffs for an eighth consecutive season. After a promising start, the Angels collapsed at the end of May and were out of contention by August.

This has the potential to be a crazy off-season in Anaheim. There's a lot of uncertainty regarding owner Arte Moreno's status with the club. Will he sell?

There's also uncertainty regarding Shohei Ohtani. Will he get traded? Can the Angels convince him to stay long-term?

The Angels have some holes to fill this offseason, but have the makings of a nice roster centered around Ohtani and Trout. If they play their cards right, they might finally be able to squeak back into the postseason.

1) Big area of need for the Angels to address this offseason: Left Field

The Angels can potentially have an elite offense in 2023. Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout are arguably the two best players in baseball. Anthony Rendon has struggled to stay on the field but signed his mega-deal for a reason. If he's the Anthony Rendon the Angels thought they were getting when they signed him, that 2-3-4 in the order is among the best in baseball with those three mashers.

The Angels have Jared Walsh who I expect to bounce back in 2023 and be a nice power bat. They have Taylor Ward and Luis Rengifo who both broke out in 2022 and should improve.

They might even be set at catcher with Logan O'Hoppe if he has a good spring. This Angels lineup should be good but the one hole is left field.

Jo Adell and Mickey Moniak are both top prospects who haven't done much at the big-league level. The Angels can have them compete for a starting spot, or bring in an outfielder. There're some solid outfielders that the Angels can bring in who are more proven and can make the team better.

There's always the chance that Adell and/or Moniak show up to Spring Training and suddenly look much better at the plate, but it's hard to bank on that at this point. I think a veteran in left field is important to acquire.

2) Big area of need for the Angels to address this offseason: A veteran starter

The Angels have some very nice pieces in their rotation. As of now, Ohtani is an Angel and is the ace of this staff. He had a career year on the mound and might get even better next season. He's one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Patrick Sandoval has a lot of room to improve. He allowed a lot of hits and walked too many, but had a sub-3.00 ERA. He's young and should get better.

Reid Detmers had a 3.36 ERA in the second half and threw a no hitter in 2022. He's young and can carry the momentum he finished the season with into 2023.

Jose Suarez had a lot of trouble pitching to a lineup three times through, as opponents had a 1.121 OPS against the southpaw when seeing him for a third time in a game. He had a sub-3.00 second half ERA and should be better as he is also young.

Out of the four starters mentioned, Ohtani is the oldest as he's 28 years old. None of these starters have any experience pitching in October and none of these starters has even made 30 starts in a single season.

The Angels should sign a veteran to fill in the fifth starter role. It doesn't have to be an ace, it doesn't have to be for more than one year. They should bring in a mentor who can eat innings for a team that has so much youth and potential.

3) Big area of need for the Angels to address this offseason: The bullpen

The Angels have some pieces in place to potentially have a good bullpen in 2023. Jimmy Herget was a huge surprise and the best Angels reliever this past season. He had a 2.48 ERA and a 2.82 FIP. He figures to be a very solid high leverage arm for the Halos.

Aaron Loup and Ryan Tepera are sort of in the same boat. They both struggled in 2022 but have solid track records and can be good pieces in the bullpen in 2023. They're both veterans that I think will bounce back.

Guys like Andrew Wantz, Jaime Barria, and Jose Quijada have all shown flashes in a variety of different roles and figure to be a part of the bullpen as well.

The Angels had a 3.98 bullpen ERA which ranked 17th in baseball. They did trade away closer Raisel Iglesias at the deadline and lack a proven closer. They can sign someone coming off a down year like Craig Kimbrel to fill that role or they could just sign a couple of veterans and have Herget close.

To me, Herget is the only guy I really trust to pitch a clean inning late in a ballgame. Loup and Tepera can get there, they just didn't this past season. A bullpen piece or two is needed for the Angels to be successful in 2023.

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