3 not-so-obvious Angels free agent targets who should be near the top of their wish list

3) Shintaro Fujinami is a not-so-obvious LA Angels free agent target

The reliever every team will want this offseason is Josh Hader. The Angels have even been linked to the southpaw themselves. He'd obviously make this bullpen a whole lot better, but spending likely nine figures on a reliever isn't really the way for this Angels team to seriously improve. Instead, spending much less money on a different reliever could be the way to go.

Shintaro Fujinami's stats are not exciting when you take a quick glance. A 7.15 ERA in 56 appearances (seven starts) is quite high. 4.8 walks per nine are too many. I definitely get the hesitation, but this version of Fujinami isn't the same as the Fujinami who started the season for Oakland.

The right-hander was signed by the A's to a one-year deal to try and provide some value out of their rotation, but as the Angels saw first hand, that didn't go well. Fujinami allowed eight runs in 2.1 innings of work against the Angels in his MLB debut in the second game of the season. Not great. His 14.26 ERA in seven starts is certainly forgettable. However, he's been much better since moving to the bullpen, and particularly of late.

The 29-year-old has a 4.88 ERA in 49 appearances as a reliever. That's still high, but that ERA sat at 2.45 in his last 16 appearances for the A's. He's remained effective since being traded to the Orioles, posting a 4.18 ERA in 22 appearances there. He's made several high-leverage appearances for the American League's best team.

He's clearly getting comfortable in his bullpen role, and could provide a ton of value in an Angels bullpen that will need arms next season. He averages 98.4 mph with his fastball and generates whiffs nearly 40% of the time on his split-finger and his cutter. He's not the top closer fans will want, but he's got the talent to be a late-game arm for this team.