3 hitters the Angels should pivot to after losing out on Teoscar Hernandez

The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to dominate the offseason as they signed Teoscar Hernandez to a one-year deal worth $23.5 million. The Dodgers already got Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow, and now continue to add on in what can only be seen as one of the greatest offseasons of all time by signing Hernandez to an extremely team-friendly deal.

Yes, the $23.5 million is quite rich, but the Dodgers are deferring part of it, and it's only for one year. Hernandez should be an incredible luxury for them as they make their lineup just that much scarier.

While the rich get richer with Hernandez, the Los Angeles Angels remain silent. They were connected to Hernandez multiple times this offseason, but lost out on him. They're in desperate need of a middle-of-the-order bat with Shohei Ohtani gone. While Hernandez would've been a great fit, he's far from the only player left. These three players would be great additions to the Angels lineup, and the Angels would really benefit from signing one of them.

1) Jorge Soler

If you're looking for a player similar to Teoscar Hernandez, Jorge Soler might fit that bill best. He's another player who is known a lot more for his bat than his glove and would probably be a better fit at DH than in the field, but is capable of stepping out into one of the corner outfield spots and not completely embarrassing himself.

Both Soler and Hernandez have incredible power, and Soler might honestly have more of it. He's had a harder time staying healthy which is why he hasn't hit as many consistently, but he has three seasons of 27+ home runs including launching as many as 48 in a single season. He led the league with those 48 home runs back in 2019 as a member of the Royals.

While he's had trouble staying on the field, Soler stayed mostly healthy this past season for the Marlins and had an unbelievable year, slashing .250/.341/.512 with 36 home runs and 75 RBI. He did this while playing half the time at pitcher-friendly Marlins Park, which is super impressive.

Soler would fill the same role Hernandez would have had the Angels signed him. He could be the team's primary DH but also play the field on days the Angels want to DH guys like Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon. Considering the fact that Hernandez only got one year and they're both 31 years old, there's a good chance Soler would have to settle for a one or two-year deal, making a deal more palatable for the Angels.

2) Justin Turner

Justin Turner has been my first choice for the Angels since Ohtani signed elsewhere, because he really is an excellent fit.

When the team is healthy, he can primarily be the team's DH and hit in the middle of the order. When the Angels want to DH one of their injury-prone veterans, Turner played three positions in the infield this past season for the Red Sox, and would presumably be able to do the same when needed for the Angels.

Turner has been an incredibly clutch hitter throughout his career with runners in scoring position, and that's the area where the Angels were incredibly weak at this past season. Hernandez was also solid in those spots, but Turner is better.

He might be 39 years old, but Turner did not miss a beat in 2023, hitting 23 home runs with 96 RBI, putting up an .800 OPS and hitting even better with RISP. There's no reason to believe Turner will heavily regress in 2024, and if he does, he'd only require a one-year deal. Whether Turner will join a team that isn't quite ready to win big in 2023 is unknown, but if the Angels are the highest bidder perhaps he would.