LA Angels rumors: Halos passed rival Dodgers in Max Scherzer sweepstakes

The LA Angels were rumored to be in on Max Scherzer this offseason, and it became not even much of a rumor very quickly.

It became apparent that they WERE indeed very in on him, and Mike Trout himself was even recruiting Scherzer. And Scherzer was certainly interested in us, too. He not only wanted to go to a west coast team at the deadline, but made it clear that he loved playing in the LA area heading into free agency.

And the Halos were confirmed as to have tried for the ace, but clearly, the $43.3 million per year for three years was too much for Arte Moreno to spend. That being said, the most frustrating part is that they were even closer to signing him than who Scherzer was playing for at the time.

The LA Dodgers were supposed to be the LA Angels' biggest competition for Max Scherzer.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, however, were not interested in signing Max Scherzer to a final third year in a deal. According to Jorge Castillo of the LA Times, the LA Angels were actually closer than the Dodgers.

"Ultimately, the Angels, desperate for more starting pitching, were closer to landing Scherzer than the Dodgers, according to a person with knowledge of the situation," wrote Castillo.

It's tough to see the Angels beating the other team in their city, who traditionally spends much more than them, yet still not getting it done and bringing him in. It can be especially tough to think about how Scherzer wanted to play in our city, too, and it just didn't happen.

Scherzer was playing some of the best baseball of his career once he moved over to the west coast. He posted a perfect 7-0 record with a 1.98 ERA and a 1.96 FIP in Dodger blue.

Once again, we didn't get the No. 1 prized starting pitching option in free agency, but the offseason's not over. There are a few other great starters available, however, and the Angels need to capitalize when this lockout's over.