3 more former Angels players the team should consider bringing back after Matt Moore
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The Los Angeles Angels signed Matt Moore in a move that should pay off in a big way for the bullpen. What Angels fans are used to being a huge weakness has actual potential to be a strength in 2024 thanks to the Moore and Robert Stephenson signings.
Part of what makes the Moore deal so exciting is he's succeeded with the Angels already, pitching extremely well for them last season. Moore was a set-up man for Carlos Estevez and figures to take on the same role in 2024. Moore joins Luis Garcia as former Angels the team has brought back this offseason, and there's a chance there will be more.
Bringing Moore back was an absolute no-brainer, but here are three more former Angels Perry Minasian should consider bringing back to Anaheim.
1) Gio Urshela
Not many of the moves that the Angels made last offseason wound up working out, but the Gio Urshela trade sure did;. Yes, he didn't provide as much power as expected, but when healthy, he certainly produced.
The 32-year-old slashed .299/.329/.374 with two home runs and 24 RBI. He saw time at all four infield positions, and was always a player Phil Nevin could rely on to put together a professional at-bat no matter the moment.
Urshela was brought in mainly to be Anthony Rendon insurance last season, but his season-ending injury got in the way of him playing in that role for a long period of time. He'd be brought back to play the exact same role primary, with some added versatility as well.
Rendon cannot be relied on to play more than 60 games. He hasn't done it once in his four years as an Angel, so as he continues to get older, you'd figure the injury woes will only get worse. He can surprise the Angels and play in a good amount of games, but the Angels can't count on that happening. Having a solid backup plan for if/when Rendon lands on the IL would be wise, and they can't do much better realistically than Gio Urshela.
2) Randal Grichuk
This might upset some fans, and that would make a lot of sense if it did. The trade to acquire Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron turned out to be an absolute disaster, and was a big reason the Angels collapsed immediately after the trade deadline.
While Cron was a complete no-show, Grichuk salvaged his Angels tenure a bit with a monster finish to his season. Since going unclaimed on waivers at the end of August, Grichuk posted an .868 OPS in 28 games and 108 plate appearances, being one of, if not the Angels best hitter in that span.
His finish should have Angels fans feeling at least a bit better, and could open their minds to his potential fit with the club. No, he would not be brought in to play everyday, but as a fourth outfielder and injury insurance for any of their outfielders, he'd make a lot more sense than Jo Adell.
Part of what makes Grichuk such an intriguing target is his ability to hit lefties. He had a whopping .995 OPS in 134 plate appearances against southpaws this past season, making him a perfect potential platoon partner for Mickey Moniak. Grichuk has a very solid .822 OPS against lefties in his career, making him a legitimate threat. Adell on the other hand, has struggled against everybody, but has been even worse against lefties than righties in his MLB career.
Grichuk would not be expensive, and would allow the Angels to trade Adell for something more useful. This signing would probably not be likely as it's still hard to see the Angels rushing to trade Adell, but that doesn't mean it isn't a deal they shouldn't make.
3) Michael Lorenzen
Michael Lorenzen is a pitcher that the Angels regretted not bringing back last offseason, as he signed a one-year deal with the Tigers, was an all-star for them, and then netted them a solid return at the trade deadline with the team selling. He was the dream one-year signing for a rebuilding team.
While the Angels had major struggles in their rotation, Lorenzen pitched like an all-star for much of the year, but the way he finished with Philadelphia leaves a lot to be desired. After he threw a no-hitter, Lorenzen struggled in five straight starts and lost his rotation spot entirely, pitching out of the bullpen down the stretch and in the playoffs.
For as bad as Lorenzen was to finish the season, he'd make sense for one big reason. You can never have enough depth, particularly when it comes to starting pitching. The Angels had a disappointing rotation last season, and just lost Shohei Ohtani. They've done nothing to address the rotation other than a Zach Plesac depth signing, all offseason. While Lorenzen isn't much better than a guy like Chase Silseth, adding depth is a good thing.
In a dream world, the Angels go out and sign an ace like Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery, but it's hard to envision Arte Moreno spending that kind of money on a starter as he's never done that. Signing Lorenzen to a cheaper one-year deal could work out for the Angels. He enjoyed his time in Anaheim in 2022, and could allow the Angels to potentially get creative and trade Tyler Anderson away at last.
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