Ranking the top 3 Angels extension candidates not named Shohei Ohtani

2) The Angels should extend Taylor Ward before Opening Day

Taylor Ward is a player that broke out extremely late, but can be seen as a star now. I don't think that's an understatement.

Last season he slashed .281/.360/.473 with 23 home runs and 65 RBI in 135 games. These are really good numbers, and to make things crazier, they should've been even better. Ward struggled for months after hurting himself crashing into a wall and playing through injuries.

We've seen Ward hit the cover off the ball this spring, and can pretty easily see that he wasn't a one-hit-wonder.

An extension for Ward wouldn't have to be anything crazy. He's under team control through the 2026 season. He'll be 32 years old then. If the Angels can extend him through his arbitration years and then one or two of his free agency years they can get him for cheaper than he'd make by going through the abritration process and on the open market.

Ward will want the security considering he's already 29, and the Angels should want to keep him around. Ward's game isn't built on speed, he should be good for a long time.