Beat writer gives accurate grade for the Angels offseason

The Athletic gave out grades for all 30 teams for the work they've done this offseason and Sam Blum, the Los Angeles Angels beat writer for the site gave the Angels a fair grade.

Sam Blum of The Athletic gives the Angels a B+ for their offseason

The Angels have done a nice job improving what was a very poor roster last season. They added a frontline starting pitcher in Tyler Anderson. They added a much-needed corner outfielder in Hunter Renfroe. They added much-needed infield depth with Gio Urshela and Brandon Drury. They also added a back-end reliever in Carlos Estevez.

Adding in five quality MLB players would make any team better. The Angels smartly decided to spread the money around rather than just splurge and use it on one player like they have in the past.

The biggest issue the Angels had last season was their lack of depth. When players like Anthony Rendon, Mike Trout, David Fletcher, and Jared Walsh went down with injuries the Angels had nobody able to step in. The Angels are now prepared to tread water when their players get hurt. Of course, nobody will win if everybody gets hurt, but the Angels can withstand a couple of injuries.

The reason the Angels did not get an A as Blum points out is there are still holes on this roster. He mentions shortstop specifically, and I agree. David Fletcher isn't good enough as a hitter to play every day and Luis Rengifo isn't a good enough defender to play shortstop. That position is still a weakness.

The Angels could also use another starting pitcher and another high-leverage reliever. They can get both in free agency, it's all about whether they'd spend the money or not.

The Angels did not have a perfect offseason, but they're a much better team than they were in 2022. Playoffs aren't a certainty, but they have a legitimate shot. B+ feels very fair.