Angels News: Cody Bellinger and Blake Snell buzz, LAA releases pitcher

The offseason is winding down and spring training for the Los Angeles Angels is coming up fast. For faithful Angels fans, this has been a pretty painful few months, as they had to watch Shohei Ohtani go across town to the Dodgers. Meanwhile, the LAA roster has a lot of unanswered questions.

There have been some bright spots, however, The Robert Stephenson signing was widely praised as a very solid bullpen addition with upside, and Aaron Hicks was added after a strong showing in 2023 with the Orioles. Certainly not the impact moves fans had become accustomed to seeing under owner Arte Moreno, but solid moves nonetheless.

As it turns out, the Angels may not actually be done yet, and if the rumors are true, they could be chasing exactly what LA fans were hoping for.

Angels Rumors: LA remains in the hunt for Cody Bellinger and/or Blake Snell

There is no replacing a unicorn player like Ohtani, but the Angels do still seem to be interested in the top of the free agent market. On the hitting side, Cody Bellinger is easily the best hitter still available on the free agent market, and with spring training around the corner, the Angels remained connected to him as a potential landing spot. His lofty contract demands may have to come down a bit first for that to happen.

Over in the starting pitching market, Blake Snell has continually been mentioned as a guy the Angels are monitoring this offseason. The reigning NL Cy Young winner has struggled to find teams willing to entertain his $200+ million asking price while ignoring his troubling walk rate, but LA certainly could use the help in their rotation. If his market continues to wane, the Angels have the money to get a deal done.

Angels News: Angels place the injured Austin Warren on release waivers

In the aftermath of the Angels trading for flamethrower Guillermo Zuñiga, it appears as though that Austin Warren is the roster casualty, as Warren was placed on release waivers on Thursday. Given that Warren is still recovering from Tommy John surgery, he could not be placed on the normal waiver wire to get him off the roster, so he will either be traded or released.

However, that does not mean Warren's time with the Angels is necessarily coming to an end. Warren's injury and previous production could mean that he ends up released, while LA tries to sign him back on a minor-league deal. They can then see how he looks once he is done rehabbing. However, anything can happen while on the waiver wire, and once he is released, Warren is free to sign anywhere he wants in a league full of teams that are on the lookout for bullpen depth.

More Angels News from Halo Hangout