3 reasons why the Angels will make the playoffs in 2023

2) The Angels have added much-needed depth

The biggest issue last season was the lack of depth in the Angels organization. The prospect pool was thin and they didn't have any real contingency plans if their players got injured.

The Angels had to rely on guys like Tyler Wade, Andrew Velazquez, Jo Adell, even Juan Lagares, and others for stretches in the season. The Angels were 27-17 at one point and faltered when players went down with injuries.

Guys like Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, Jared Walsh, and David Fletcher all come with injury concerns. With that in mind, the Angels have added quality depth to step in if/when players go down.

They acquired Gio Urshela in a trade. Urshela is a primary third baseman but he does have a little experience playing all over the infield. He had a 121 OPS+ with the Twins last season and isn't even projected to start in what should be a much-improved lineup.

The Angels also signed Brandon Drury to a two-year deal. Drury is likely the Opening Day second baseman but he can play all over the place and doesn't have to play every day. If he struggles or someone like Luis Rengifo or Gio Urshela is hot, they'd play until they cool off.

The only spot on the infield that's a guarantee right now is Anthony Rendon at third base (until he gets hurt). The Angels could use Fletcher, Rengifo, or even one of Urshela or Drury if they're desperate at shortstop. They could use any of those players at second base as well. At first base Jared Walsh figures to see the reps against right-handed pitching, but if he struggles we very well could see Urshela there.

Phil Nevin has so many options to mix and match with now. The Angels could still use a shortstop, but other than that, it's hard to fault any of the moves Perry Minasian has made in the infield.

Depth allows teams to tread water when injuries occur. The Angels now have the proper depth to survive

3) The Angels have addressed the corner outfield spot

Left Field was a position of weakness last season for the Angels. Angels left fielders had a 69 WRC+ (29th in MLB) and were worth 0.3 fWAR (27th in MLB).

Brandon Marsh didn't hit while he was here. Jo Adell isn't a great defender and hasn't hit at all at the big-league level. The Angels simply didn't have a left fielder as Mike Trout was in center and Taylor Ward was in right.

The Angels made a surprising trade, acquiring Hunter Renfroe from the Brewers in exchange for three pitchers. They didn't give up much and landed a big power bat to plug into the outfield. The Angels will put Renfroe in right field and shift Ward over to left. Now all of a sudden the Angels outfield looks very good.

Renfroe has not hit fewer than 25 home runs in any full season he's played in (excluding the shortened 2020 season). He can hit in the middle of the order and be a legitimate run producer.

Renfroe had a 124 WRC+ last season. That's a 55-point improvement! Renfroe has a career WRC+ of 109. If the Angels get that, that's still a massive upgrade over what they had.

Corner outfield was a spot they had to address and they did a great job at doing just that. Renfroe gives the Angels another player who can hit 30+ home runs with an .800+ OPS. The Angels were 25th in runs scored last season. Adding a player like this to replace the production Marsh and Adell gave should shoot the Angels up a number of spots.