Angels could land six-time All-Star slugger before the start of the 2024 season

Much of the speculation surrounding the Los Angeles Angels in the closing weeks of spring training has centered around whether or not they will make a big acquisition for their rotation. Given that the news cycle has been dominated by Blake Snell rumors of late, it is easy to understand why that is the case.

However, the Angels also have to figure out what they are going to do at designated hitter in 2024 now that Shohei Ohtani is a Dodger. Right now, the current plan seems to be a rotating cast of Brandon Drury, Mike Trout, and Anthony Rendon getting the most plate appearances at DH this season. If the team is wanting to try and prevent injuries to Trout and especially Rendon, giving them a lot of time at DH has some merit.

Another option for the Angels is to look to the free agent market for a designated hitter, where there are a surprising number of candidates still available. Adam Duvall and Tommy Pham are still on the market and could be decent fits, although LA would have to make sure that Pham still isn't mad at Trout about fantasy football if the team wanted to go in that direction.

The DH option that the Angels appear to be focused on the moment is JD Martinez, who sounds like he could end up being the move the Angels make if they make one at all.

LA Angels Rumors: Angels appear to be targeting JD Martinez as their DH

JD Martinez's market has never really developed this offseason, as was the case for a lot of bat-first guys in free agency. While Martinez isn't anywhere near the guy he was at his peak, he's still a consistent 25+ home run threat and just posted an .893 OPS and made the All-Star team with the Dodgers in 2023. Assuming he isn't wanting a long-term deal as a 36-year-old, LA could do a whole lot worse than him.

The Angels do have some competition for Martinez's services, however. The Giants had previously expressed interest in him, but found his initial price tag to be too rich for their liking. However, the Mets have remained involved in Martinez's market. While they are a team in transition at the moment, Martinez could be a bridge to the future for the team, assuming that Steve Cohen is willing to add to their roster this late in the offseason.

According to the current reporting, the Angels' interest in Martinez has no bearing on their rumored interest in Snell, and there is a world where LA ends up with both players. If that were to happen, the Angels would be in surprisingly good shape heading into the 2024 season, even if it means that Rendon will have to actually figure out a way to stay healthy and play in the field to get playing time.

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