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No. 1 star free agent LA Angels can sign when MLB lockout ends: Justin Verlander
Yes, you read that correctly: The LA Angels CAN sign Justin Verlander when the MLB lockout ends. He has not officially re-signed with the Houston Astros.
Free agency mystery: Justin Verlander’s $50M, 2-year Astros deal (w/opt out) never was announced and presumably is not official. That means Verlander and Astros have to wait to finalize until a new CBA is done. It is unclear why the deal reported 2 weeks ago is now in limbo.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 2, 2021
Nobody knows why he isn't re-signed yet, but he isn't. The Angels can totally pay Verlander $50 million over two years. They have more than enough money to get that done considering they have a $3.6 billion owner in Arte Moreno.
They've spent just over $160 million in 2022 payroll, so they have more than enough money to get this deal done. With how rich Moreno is and LA being in such a major market, we can afford to get up to $200 million in payroll.
So we could sign both Verlander, one of the others on this list, and re-sign Steve Cishek and Mike Mayers. We'd then potentially be entering 2022 with a SQUAD.
The Angels have been moving a little too slowly so far this winter, but have the chance to come ROARING back once this lockout is over. Signing some of these four would be a tremendous start for the franchise.