3 ways to make the Winter Meetings a success for the LA Angels

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The Los Angeles Angels have done a good job so far at improving their team that just won 73 games in 2022. They signed Tyler Anderson and traded for Gio Urshela and Hunter Renfroe. All three of those moves filled glaring holes the Angels had on their roster.

Los Angeles cannot be done. There are other moves that need to be made for the Angels to keep pace in the AL West.

The Winter Meetings are here, and the Angels need to remain active. Here are three things the Angels need to do in order to make the Winter Meetings a success.

1) LA Angels path to success at the Winter Meetings: Sign one of the star shortstops

The Angels need to sign one of the big four-star shortstops. Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, and Dansby Swanson are all available. I'd be happy with any of the four.

Angels shortstops slashed .232/.271/.327 with 13 home runs and 62 RBI the entire season. They had a 68 WRC+ which was good for 29th in baseball, just one point ahead of Diamondbacks shortstops.

David Fletcher and Andrew Velazquez played the majority of the shortstop for the Halos. They're really good defensively, but it's clear they need more there offensively.

Right now, Fletcher would be the Opening Day shortstop. I like his defense, especially at second base, but he hasn't hit enough to warrant an everyday role. He struggled to stay healthy in 2022 but in the 61 games he did play he had just a 77 OPS+. The season prior Fletcher did stay healthy and had a 70 OPS+ with just two home runs in 157 games.

I like Fletcher and think he'd be a fine utility infielder with his defense but he doesn't hit enough. Andrew Velazquez and Livan Soto are the options right now to be the backup. Velazquez can't hit at all, he's worse than Fletcher offensively. Soto looked good in his limited at-bats but didn't do much in the minors and only had 55 at-bats.

The Angels don't have a starting shortstop on their roster right now and have a chance to land an all-star. I get that Arte Moreno is selling the team, but he can pass the tax bill on to the next owner. This is a move that needs to get done for the Angels to be a sure-fire contender in the AL West.

2) LA Angels path to success at the Winter Meetings: Acquire at least two relievers including at least one high-leverage arm

Right now, the Angels have five relievers who I know will be a part of the bullpen in 2023. Jimmy Herget, Aaron Loup, Ryan Tepera, Jose Quijada, and Jaime Barria will be in the bullpen in some capacity. Roles are to be determined.

Out of the relievers listed, Herget is the only guy I truly feel comfortable with in a high-leverage role. Loup and Tepera have had success before, but weren't great in 2022. Quijada has a live arm but hasn't proven enough to warrant a high-leverage role. Barria works best as a long reliever.

With that in mind, the Angels need to sign or trade for at least one high-leverage arm. Bullpen is a weak spot on this roster right now. They were slightly below average last season.

The Halos have added some depth in the form of minor league signings. Those veterans might come in handy at some point if there're injuries or underperforming pitchers on the staff, but they shouldn't be on the Opening Day roster.

Signing a high-leverage arm and another reliever as well is important. If the Angels truly want to compete, improving the bullpen so they can come close to matching up with Houston and Seattle is important.

3) LA Angels path to success at the Winter Meetings: Acquire another starter

The Angels signed Tyler Anderson to a three-year deal early on. To me, this was a great move as it didn't cost much to sign him, and he's an innings eater who will give the Angels a chance to win virtually every time out.

Right now, the Angels have Shohei Ohtani, Anderson, Patrick Sandoval, Reid Detmers, and Jose Suarez locked into their rotation. Because Ohtani is on the roster, the Halos need to add a sixth starter.

There're always internal candidates like Griffin Canning, Chase Silseth, Chris Rodriguez, Tucker Davidson, and Kenny Rosenberg, (I can go on but won't). Are those guys really good enough? You can make an argument for Canning, Silseth and Rodriguez have some promise, but I think upgrading the rotation is the right way to go.

Could that mean signing one of the mid-rotation arms available like Jameson Taillon or Taijuan Walker? Could that mean trading for an arm like Pablo Lopez? Could that mean signing a lower-end arm like Michael Lorenzen or Drew Smyly?

Whatever way you slice it, the Halos need one more starter. Who it is remains to be seen.

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3 ways to make the Winter Meetings a success for the Angels

1) LA Angels path to success at the Winter Meetings: Sign one of the star shortstops

2) LA Angels path to success at the Winter Meetings: Acquire at least two relievers including at least one high-leverage arm

3) LA Angels path to success at the Winter Meetings: Acquire another starter

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