3 moves I’m making for the LA Angels if I’m Perry Minasian
Perry Minasian is in the middle of his second year as LA Angels GM, and this is not the greatest offseason for any General Manager.
The MLB lockout has thrown off everybody's rhythm, and a lot of teams who were expected to spend big this winter haven't even had much of a chance to get going yet.
The Angels were in a position to where they needed to spend big money.
They're in the LA market, and this market demands stars and aggression from front offices. We're in a beautiful part of the country where tons of free agents would love to live. We NEED to go for it if we want to cash in on having the two best players in baseball in their primes.
If I'm Perry Minasian, I know exactly what I'm doing as soon as this lockout ends.
No. 3 move I'm making for the LA Angels if I'm Perry Minasian: Signing Carlos Rodon
The LA Angels are reportedly in on Carlos Rodon this offseason, and Perry Minasian needs to finish the job--no excuses.
Once we lost Alex Cobb to the San Francisco Giants, it was clear that we need more this offseason than just Noah Syndergaard and Michael Lorenzen.
Rodon is arguably the best starter left on the free agent market, and while he had some injury concerns last year, he is healthy now. He returned to the mound at the end of the regular season and pitched in the postseason. The Halos need to be aggressive here.
If they go with a free agent over a trade target, they don't have to risk having to trade Jo Adell or Brandon Marsh. They need to go this route so they can keep those two future cornerstones.
No. 2 move I'm making for the LA Angels if I'm Perry Minasian: Signing Brad Hand
The LA Angels don't need Brad Hand to close, but having a reliever of his caliber is valuable for any staff. Hand has done more than just be a closer in this league, and has experience in other roles. Just because we have Raisel Iglesias doesn't mean we couldn't also use Hand.
The Angels bullpen was atrocious last year. It had the second-worst bullpen ERA in the AL last year (4.59), the third-most walks per nine innings (4.04), the third-worst WHIP (1.40), and the third-highest BAA (.245).
Acquiring Hand, who went to three straight All-Star Games from 2017 to 2019 would be amazing. He's posted a 2.90 ERA since that 2017 season, to go along with a 148 ERA+ and 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings. I don't care if he's not closing; I want that level of production on my team.
Besides, many teams in the past have exceled in the pen with multiple back-end guys on the roster. The New York Yankees come to mind, and the Halos learned just how valuable the pen is in their struggles last season.
Besides, Hand's never made more than $7 million or more in a season, even when he pitched better than he did this year. He can't be too expensive.
No. 1 move I'm making for the LA Angels if I'm Perry Minasian: Signing Kenley Jansen
Kenley Jansen is in the same boat as Hand when it comes to the LA Angels signing him. I simply don't care that he's been a closer for many years. He's also been elite in other roles, and would bring value to this team even with us already having our franchise closer.
Jansen started his career as not much of a closer at all anyway, and he was just as good in a different role. He posted a 2.85 ERA to go along with a 1.74 FIP and a career-high 16.1 strikeouts per nine innings in his rookie year. Jansen is the type of pitcher we want on our team because he's one of the best in the game, and he's already proven he can do just as well without closing.
The pen is just as important as the starting rotation this offseason, and arguably even more important. It'll be easier to fix, as the market for relievers isn't as demanding financially as the market for starters is.
If the Angels can make these moves, they're in the mix as a team who can compete for the pennant. We would likely finally see Shohei Ohtani in the playoffs.