LA Angels: 5 free agents Perry Minasian must convince Arte Moreno to avoid

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Last offseason it became public knowledge that Los Angeles Angels General Manager Perry Minasian had to go out of his way to convince owner Arte Moreno to not sign Trea Turner but instead focus on building a team with depth.

In a perfect world, the Angels would've been able to sign Turner while also fielding a team full of depth. This would be done by going over the luxury tax like most big market owners are fine doing. With Moreno's restrictions passing on Turner was the right call, even with his unbelievable second half and postseason in Philadelphia thus far.

With the Angels coming off another disappointing year, there's a good chance Arte Moreno is going to try and convince Minasian to sign other big names to try and get fans excited. Especially if Shohei Ohtani walks. Some big-name free agents would be great fits while others Perry should try and convince Moreno to back off from.

1) Blake Snell

Having Blake Snell on a list of free agents to avoid probably isn't expected considering the season he just had, but his 2023 season is exactly why the Angels should be avoiding him. Let me explain.

There's a good chance Blake Snell is going to win the second Cy Young Award of his career this season, after posting a 2.25 ERA in 32 starts and 180 innings pitched. He struck out a whopping 234 batters on the year, and allowed just 115 hits. Yes, 65 fewer hits than innings pitched. He had a microscopic 1.20 ERA in his last 23 starts of the year. Just pure dominance.

While that's great and all, his Cy Young-caliber season almost certainly means his value has gone up exponentially. That's well deserved and all, but to think Snell will be the 1.20 ERA pitcher he was down the stretch or anything close to it would be foolish.

The southpaw has struggled to even make his starts throughout his career. The only other time he's made 30 starts in a year was his other Cy Young season with the Rays back in 2018. Additionally, Snell led the league with 99 walks. Free passes don't mean much if you allow no hits, but do you really expect him to allow 65 fewer hits than innings pitched anytime soon?

Opponents had a .256 BAbip against him which is very far below the .300 average. I'd expect him to come crashing down to earth in 2024 and I expect him to do that while making a ton of money at age 31. The Angels need pitching help, and Snell would certainly provide that, but there're other pitchers that make more sense to me.

2) Matt Chapman

If Shohei Ohtani leaves, there's a good chance the Angels try and do something unorthodox for the DH spot. They could try and place one of their older injury prone stars at DH and add someone else to fill in for them in the field.

Something the Angels could, but absolutely should not do is sign Matt Chapman to play third base and DH Anthony Rendon. There're two reasons why the team would do this. First, Rendon hasn't played in more than 58 games in any of his four seasons with the Angels. That's obviously a major problem that isn't worth diving into. Second, Rendon's defense, particularly in 2023, has left a lot to be desired. He committed eight errors in just 43 games played this past season.

By signing Chapman, the Angels would be adding an obvious power bat who is otherworldly defensively at third base. The problem is he's coming off an abysmal year with the Blue Jays and would also be bringing a ton of strikeouts to a lineup that should be more contact oriented.

Chapman got off to a raging-hot start in 2023 but struggled mightily in the latter half of the season, ending it with a .755 OPS and 17 home runs. I definitely expect Chapman to be better offensively in 2024, but with this free agency market being rather weak, particularly at third base, there's a good chance he'll get more money somewhere than he's actually worth. DH'ing Rendon isn't the worst idea in the world, but bringing Chapman in on a large contract wouldn't make this team much better than they already are.

3) Cody Bellinger

Cody Bellinger proved me wrong with an unbelievable bounceback year with the Cubs. After being non-tendered by the Dodgers last offseason I was adament about not wanting the Angels to take a chance on him and he made me look absolutely foolish. Credit to him.

Bellinger slashed .307/.356/.525 with 26 home runs and 97 RBI in 130 games this past season for the Cubs. He tacked on 20 stolen bases and, of course, elite defense anywhere they put him. He showed flashes of the MVP he was back with the Dodgers.

Bellinger doing this in his free agency year means he's set to make a whole lot of money when he signs his next contract. He deserves it after a year like this, but do the Angels really want to be the team giving him a nine-figure deal when he can easily just revert back to the player he was at the end of his Dodgers career?

In the three seasons following his MVP win in 2019, Bellinger slashed .203/.272/.376 averaging 14 home runs and 45 RBI per season while earning mostly regular playing time. Some of the numbers are skewed a bit because of the short season, but make no mistake about it. He was awful.

You know you're going to get elite defense from Bellinger no matter what, but the Angels dolling out long-term big money to a player who was rather worthless for three years before randomly breaking out is a risk I really don't need to see them taking. Especially when they've got outfielders and a first baseman in the fold already.

4. Josh Hader

If Shohei Ohtani leaves, there's a good chance Arte Moreno will want to bring in a flashy player. Relievers aren't flashy mostly, but Josh Hader is a rare exception. The hard-throwing lefty is one of, if not the best reliever in the game. Adding him would certainly qualify as a splash.

I personally love to watch Josh Hader. His unorthodox delivery makes him so hard for hitters to have success against, and his wipeout stuff is hard to beat. The problem with him is he's a reliever, and relievers can be extremely volatile. Even the good ones. Even Hader!

Hader's 2022 season is a prime example that any given season can spiral out of control for any reliever. He did not allow a run through his first 19 appearances and 17.2 innings pitched that season. Over his next 18 appearances before being traded from the Brewers to the Padres, he was a completely different pitcher posting an 8.82 ERA, taking four losses, and blowing two saves.

Those struggles continued with the Padres as he posted a 7.31 ERA in 19 regular season appearances. He was better in the postseason that year, but Hader really went half the season being untouchable, and then another half being incapable of recording outs. You literally never know what you're going to get from a reliever in any season with rare exceptions.

There's a good chance Hader will top the five-year deal Edwin Diaz got from the Mets that was worth $102 million. I'm not saying he's not worth it, but the Angels paying a reliever that kind of money for that long when they've got other bigger needs to worry about with how volatile relievers are would more likely than not be a massive waste.

5) Jorge Soler

Jorge Soler's breakout in 2023 was a huge reason the Marlins were able to shock the world and make the postseason. He went from a guy who was horrific in limited action last season to a player who hit 36 home runs with an .853 OPS playing half his games at the notoriously pitcher-friendly LoanDepot Park.

Soler had a great year in 2023 and will almost certainly opt out of his player option for the 2024 season and seak a multi-year deal in free agency. Even if Shohei Ohtani leaves, the Angels should not be the team that gives it to him.

Soler has had three seasons to remember. He led the AL with 48 home runs in 2019 for the Royals. He was the World Series MVP with the Braves in 2021 and hit another 27 home runs in the regular season. The third season was this past one. The other seven in his career have been unproductive.

Soler has had a hard time playing games, as he's topped 100 just four times in his career. One of those times he just barely got over 100 as he played in 101 games back in 2015. Soler acting as the primary DH would likely help him stay on the field, but the Angels would be better off rotating guys in and out of that spot if Ohtani does leave.

Soler will be 32 by Opening Day next season and will be getting a rather lucrative multi-year deal. He deserves it after what he did in Miami, but with Trout and Rendon not getting any younger and the Angels having other needs to fill, passing on Soler makes the most sense.

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