3 middle-of-the-order bats the Angels need to sign this off-season to replace Ohtani

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With the departure of Shohei Ohtani, the LA Angels lack some star power in their lineup and will have to find ways to supplement it this off-season. When Ohtani was with the team, he was limited to only the designated hitters' role which limited the role itself for other players that needed a break from the field. Here are 3 hitters that the team could look to pursue that could help fill the obvious void.

1) Cody Bellinger

Bellinger has seemingly found his way back to stardom after an impressive season with the Cubs before testing free agency once again. During his time in Chicago, Bellinger slashed .307/.356/.525 with a highly regarded OPS+ of 133. The one thing that has impressed me the most however is his time on the field, when dealing with any injury, he is capable of playing near a full 162 which is something the Angels desperately need.

He is also a client of Scott Boras, the Angels already have a pair of players in their system represented by Boras in Jo Adell and Anthony Rendon. While Rendon has struggled during his time with the Angels and the jury still being out on Adell, a productive Bellinger could repair any damage to the relationship of Angels owner Arte Moreno and Scott Boras.

Bellinger’s versatility to play the outfield and first base could already make him a great asset to the Angels as you can move him around unlike Ohtani. The team does not need another bat that locks himself into the Designated Hitter position in the lineup and Bellinger is not that. He can help provide rest to anyone in the outfield as well as help mentor rookie first baseman Nolan Schanuel.

2) Whit Merrifield

Another versatile player, Whit Merrifield should cost significantly less than Bellinger as he is coming off a mediocre year. He slashed .272/.318/.382 with a OPS+ of 94 just under the 100 average with the Toronto Blue Jays. He is another player that can provide the Angels with consistent playing time as he played in 145 games while patrolling the outfield and handling some second base. In 2021 he stole a league-leading 40 bases and only got caught 4 times, while last season shows that he has regressed with only 26 stolen bases and getting caught 10 times.

He is another player that the Angels can platoon in the outfield and give other players much-needed rest in the long run. If the Angels can tap into his hitting ability from 2018 where he slashed .304/.367/.438 with 45 stolen bases, then it could be a steal signing for the team.

The most surprising thing is that he was an All-Star last season where he had an OPS+ of 110. Even if he doesn’t have those types of numbers anymore, he could prove to be a solid depth piece for the team and won’t have a hefty asking price attached to him, unlike Bellinger.

3) Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Now before you ask, no he is not the one that made racist gestures toward former Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish. That was his brother Yuli Gurriel. Lourdes had a productive season last year as he slashed .261/.309/.463 with an OPS+ of 108.

He was also an All-Star last season as he is another utility player that the Angels can put virtually anywhere on the field. He primarily left field, shortstop, and second base which means that he can provide much-needed depth to the team overall.

Similarly to Merrifield, Gurriel should not cost the Angels as much as Bellinger if they once again focus on spending under the luxury tax. He also won’t hunker down the Designated Hitter position so that way other players can rotate throughout the lineup however Angels manager Ron Washington sees fit.

Any of these players would make great additions to an Angels lineup that is in desperate need of another big bat that Ohtani had. They also won’t hog up the DH spot which already promotes the flexibility in the lineup that the Angels did not have. It will depend on whether the team wants to sprinkle around the money they have or go and get a star.

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