Angels news: Perry Minasian, Winter Meetings, more.

Dec 6, 2021; Orlando, FL, USA;  Minor league baseball conducted scaled down 2021 winter meetings at
Dec 6, 2021; Orlando, FL, USA; Minor league baseball conducted scaled down 2021 winter meetings at | Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The Winter Meetings are here! This should be the high point of the offseason where teams make substantial moves. Unfortunately, yesterday was pretty uneventful. Today is the first full day that teams are in San Diego so hopefully when everybody is up and ready things will start to happen.

Perry Minasian faces a ton of pressure as he tries to field a contender in 2023. He has his job to save while dealing with Arte Moreno potentially selling the team and the chance Shohei Ohtani doesn't want to remain an Angel.

So far Minasian has done well, signing Tyler Anderson and trading for Gio Urshela and Hunter Renfroe. Is that enough? Absolutely not. The Angels are better than they were in 2022 but so are their division rivals. I mean the Rangers just signed Jacob deGrom! Minasian has to get the job done or else his job will be in serious doubt.

Angels news:

Could Matt Thaiss be on his way out? He's out of options and is the third option at both catcher and third base. He was absolutely not worth the first-round pick the Angels used on him, which is a shame since Will Smith of the Dodgers, another catcher, went in that same draft.

It's possible Thaiss remains on the roster in a bench role but it's hard to see him get much playing time. Frankly, he hasn't earned it with how he's played at the big league level. What do you think the Halos should do with him?

MLB news:

Fred McGriff was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday. He was the only player selected out of the eight nominees on the Contemporary Era Ballot. McGriff made it over the likes of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens because he had no ties to PED usage. Angels owner Arte Moreno was among those on the committee with a vote.

There was a lot of noise involving Athletics catcher Sean Murphy yesterday at the Winter Meetings. People thought he might've been going to the Braves but nothing materialized and the Braves are reportedly not even interested in the backstop. He is likely to be moved as Oakland continues to try and save every cent possible despite Murphy being a really good catcher. It makes them worse, which I'm more than fine with.

The Red Sox reportedly haven't made a competitive offer to Xander Bogaerts. Why Boston is pinching pennies is beyond me, but the Angels should be in on him if Boston doesn't take this seriously. The need for a shortstop is glaring and Bogaerts is one of the best in the game.

The Marlins will not listen to offers for Sandy Alcantara but are open to dealing any of their other pitchers. I'd rather the Angels just sign a pitcher but could see them trying to trade for someone like Pablo Lopez.

Schedule