3 moves the LA Angels must make after losing Shohei Ohtani to the Dodgers

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The Los Angeles Angels received the heartbreaking news that Shohei Ohtani had signed a mega-deal to join the Los Angeles Dodgers. This was a crushing blow for an Angels team that desperately needed Ohtani on the team.

The Angels won 73 games this past season with Ohtani winning the MVP award. They never finished a single season that Ohtani was with them with a winning record, and never sniffed a postseason appearance. Competing without him will only be that much more difficult.

Perry Minasian will be given an almost impossible task of building a contending team without the best player in the game. These three moves should at least get them closer.

1) Sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Winning in 2024 will be virtually impossible with Ohtani gone. I mean, how does it make sense for this team to improve without Shohei? With that in mind, the Angels should look to add a player to try and help them win not only now, but also in the future. Yoshinobu Yamamoto fits that bill to a tee.

Yamamoto comes to the US after winning three straight Sawamura Awards (Japanese Cy Young) and would be the ace of this staff that the Angels desperately need. Even if Ohtani had returned, the Angels would've needed an ace considering the fact that Shohei can't pitch in 2024.

Yamamoto fills that ace role that this team needs, and should also be good for a very long time. While most free agents are around or even over the age of 30, Yamamoto is just 25 years old. The Angels can sign him now and expect him to still be an ace when they're actually able to compete. Yamamoto can grow alongside the young rotation and position player core that the Angels should look to continue to develop.

Ohtani is obviously the biggest and most-expensive free agent that was on the market, but Yamamoto is likely going to earn the second-largest contract. The Angels saved money by not signing Shohei, and now can spend it on Yamamoto.

2) Sign one of the best position players available

Losing Ohtani not only affects the Angels future rotation, but it affects their present and future lineup. The Angels offense was average at best with Shohei on the team, and will certainly be below-average if they don't make an addition after losing him.

The Angels simply cannot replace Ohtani. He won the MVP for a reason, and the NL MVP won't be available. While he can't be replaced, the Angels can do their best to try and add a big bat to this lineup.

Cody Bellinger is now the most-expensive position player free agent. A Bellinger signing would come with some risk considering his volatility offensively, but when he's on, he's an MVP-caliber player. Bellinger won the NL MVP in 2019 with the Dodgers, and was a top-10 finisher this past season. He'd certainly provide a boost.

If they decide Bellinger is too risky, the Angels can sign one of the many DH's available. J.D. Martinez is arguably the second-best hitter available, and will certainly be leaving the Dodgers after Ohtani signed there. Jorge Soler just had a monster year for the Marlins and can provide most of Ohtani's power.

Whoever it is, the Angels must try to bring in a game-changer. It won't be as good as Ohtani, but it'll be something.

3) Continue to improve the bullpen

The Angels have made several bullpen additions this offseason, but none of them can be considered big signings. Luis Garcia, Adam Cimber, and Adam Kolarek all have their positives, but are nothing more than middle relievers at best. The Angels had a subpar bullpen once again in 2023, and need to change that if they want to compete in 2024.

Carlos Estevez is set to play a key role out of the bullpen for the Angels, and the Angels hope youngsters such as Jose Soriano, Ben Joyce, and Sam Bachman take steps forward, but there isn't much else to get excited about.

Josh Hader is the marquee reliever available. He'd certainly transform this bullpen, but would come at a costly price. If the Angels opt to shoot a bit lower, they'd still do quite well with arms like Matt Moore and David Robertson.

The Angels should be trying to shorten games with a subpar rotation and an average lineup. Adding big-time relievers helps them consistently do that. Relievers can be volatile which could be a reason to not pursue a guy like Hader who will require many years and a lot of money, but there's no excuse to not be on relievers who can be productive on shorter-term deals.

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3 moves the Angels must make after losing Shohei Ohtani to the Dodgers

1) Sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto

2) Sign one of the best position players available

3) Continue to improve the bullpen

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