Angels news: Carlos Estevez, Shortstops, MLB news, more

The Los Angeles Angels made a move on the first full day of Winter Meetings, signing Carlos Estevez to a two-year $13.5 million dollar deal. The Halos add their first high-leverage arm after a string of minor league signings.

Estevez is coming off a career year where he posted a 3.47 ERA in 62 appearances and 57 innings pitched. He's a hard thrower who has always had good numbers outside of Colorado, a nightmare for pitchers.

Estevez is an arm the Angels believe has upside and I agree. It'll be interesting to see how he does in a full season outside of Colorado. He has a 3.51 career ERA on the road, and an ERA over two runs higher at home. The Angels should not be done in the bullpen and could still use another good arm or two.

More Angels news:

The Angels are interested in Kodai Senga. This comes as no surprise as they need another starter to round out their six-man rotation. Senga would be pricey, but very worth it as long as it doesn't take them out of the shortstop market.

Speaking of the shortstop market, one of the big shortstops, Trea Turner, signed an 11-year $300 million dollar deal with the Phillies. It was always expected he'd go back east and he was linked to the Phillies for virtually the entire free agency process. There're three good shortstops left in free agency, and it'd be nice to see the Angels land one of them.

MLB news:

The New York Mets signed Justin Verlander to a two-year $86.6 million dollar deal with a third-year vesting option. Just days after losing Jacob deGrom to the Rangers, the Mets respond by adding Justin Verlander, another all-time great. The Astros become significantly weaker with this move but are still the class of the AL West.

The Twins have reportedly discussed the possibility of trading Luis Arraez, the AL Batting Champ, in their search for some high-end pitching. I'd be shocked if this actually happened, but it'd be crazy if it does. The Angels don't have the high-end pitching to trade for Arraez right now, unfortunately.

The White Sox have reportedly discussed Liam Hendriks in trade talks. Hendriks is one of the best closers in the game and would be a big pickup if a team traded for him. I don't think the Angels will consider this despite looking for a back-end reliever as Hendriks is making $14 million dollars in 2023 with a club option for $15 million dollars (with a $15 million dollar buyout). It's better they spend their money on a shortstop anyway.

The Cubs met with Carlos Correa at the Winter Meetings. They've met with all three of the big-name shortstops as they look to improve off a disappointing 2022 campaign. Hopefully, the Angels follow the Cubs' lead and try to snag Correa.

The Marlins are interested in former Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner. Miami is in desperate need of offense, so adding a great hitter like Turner would be a great thing for them. The question is, will they spend the money neces