LA Angels news: The shortstop market, Rich Hill, MLB news, more

The final big-name shortstop remaining on the free agent market, Dansby Swanson, has signed a deal with the Cubs. It was an overpay, but it's hard to expect anything less after looking at the deals the other shortstops got. The Los Angeles Angels did not sign one of the stars and have yet to address the shortstop position.

The Halos had one of the worst shortstop situations last season in baseball. It will get slightly better with better help from David Fletcher as he surely is an upgrade over Andrew Velazquez, but more should be done there. Even an addition like Jean Segura or Elvis Andrus makes them much better.

It'll be interesting to see whether Perry Minasian is content with Fletcher or seeks upgrades in free agency or in a trade.

More Angels news:

The Angels have reportedly shown interest in veteran southpaw Rich Hill. Hill will be 43 by Opening Day, so it's reasonable to expect him to fall off a cliff production-wise. However, this has not happened yet, and people have been saying it would for years. Hill would be a fine option as a sixth starter for the Angels but I think they can find better value on the market.

MLB news:

The Dodgers signed J.D. Martinez to a one-year $10 million dollar deal. Martinez is coming off a down year, particularly in the power department as he only hit 16 home runs this past season after averaging over 35 home runs in the last three full seasons (excluding 2020). Even with his down year, he had a 117 OPS+ and this deal seems very cheap.

The Pirates signed Austin Hedges on a one-year deal. Hedges becomes the Pirates' new catcher until top prospects Endy Rodriguez and Henry Davis are ready.