3 moves that the LA Angels must do immediately

Aug 5, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias (32) pitches
Aug 5, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias (32) pitches / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
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Oct 8, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Ryan Tepera (51) pitches against
Oct 8, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Ryan Tepera (51) pitches against / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The LA Angels have had a decent offseason so far, but it's too early to really get excited about next season just yet.

And most teams are in that boat. So many top free agents have still not been picked up, and the trade market hasn't heated up too much just yet.

The Angels have work to do, and Perry Minasian has the resources to do it. There are many ways the Halos can go about this offseason, but it's clear as to which moves they need to get on as soon as possible.

No. 3 move that the LA Angels must do immediately: Sign Ryan Tepera

The LA Angels need bullpen help, and Ryan Tepera is likely a cheap option who I know could get the job done.

It's good that the Angels seem to be all-in on focusing on the starting rotation, as that's more important. However, the team still has glaring bullpen issues, and we need to make sure we don't ignore that side of the staff, where options to fix the problems are going to be cheaper.

Why can't Tepera be that first guy? He's coming off of the best year of his career, and has always been cheap.

The most he's ever made in his career during a given season is $1.525 million. He's not going to demand a payday that some of the other notable relievers in this class such as Kenley Jansen are going to want.

Tepera has had such a solid career, posting a career-ERA of 3.48, a career-ERA+ of 125, and a career-WHIP of 1.117. Tepera drastically improves this pen.

Jul 31, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias (32)
Jul 31, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias (32) / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports


No. 2 move that the LA Angels must do immediately: Re-sign Raisel Iglesias

The LA Angels need to re-sign Raisel Iglesias. Period.

There's no questions to be asked on this subject. He was a top three player on the Angels last year and it wasn't even close.

The Angels didn't trade Iglesias at the deadline when they could have received quite a bit from the elite closer. Well, they didn't win last year, so what would be the point of not trading him if they didn't have plans to keep him for a long time?

Keep Iglesias in Anaheim. This is non-negotiable. He's coming off of another great year, recording 34 saves (39 opportunities) with a 2.57 ERA. In the last two years, he's posted a stellar WHIP of 0.925.

The Angels bullpen was awful last year, so it's important that the Halos go out and bring back one of the only bright spots that they did have. He was certainly the brightest spot, and is the type of player you keep to build around the two best players in baseball.

We need to win with those two on our team and in their primes. Re-signing Iglesias is a necessity if winning truly is a priority.

Oct 14, 2021; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31)
Oct 14, 2021; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) / Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports


No. 1 move that the LA Angels must do immediately: Sign Max Scherzer

The LA Angels are reportedly still very much in on Max Scherzer.

We should absolutely be shooting for Scherzer. Even with the Noah Syndergaard signing, we have the money to do it. We're still under $140 million in team payroll.

Our owner is worth $3.6 billion, and we're a major market team. We can get up to $200 million if we want, and that leaves room for Scherzer. Somebody's going to break the bank for the three-time Cy Young Award winner, and it would be great if it ends up being us.

Three-time Cy Young Award winners who have made eight straight All-Star Games and have 3.16 career ERA's don't come around often at all. The Angels need to take advantage of the situation.

I'd buy the age concern (he's 37) if he didn't just pitch the best he ever had to end the season this year. He got better with age this year, going 7-0 with a 1.98 ERA since he was traded to the Dodgers.

He also made it clear that he wants to play for an LA team, and Mike Trout has been recruiting him hard.

Tyler Wade is actually an upgrade for us. dark. Next

Everything's lining up well for this. Make this move, and make the other two as well. Let's go for it next year, and finally do everything it takes to compete and make a run at the trophy.

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