Latest Teoscar Hernandez rumor is a bad sign for other Angels targets

The offseason has been full of inactivity for the Los Angeles Angels who watched Shohei Ohtani sign with their crosstown rivals only to proceed to do virtually nothing after the fact.

While they have yet to put pen to paper on a meaningful deal, we've heard the Angels linked to numerous players, including some of the best in free agency.

The Angels have a massive hole at the top of the rotation, so we've heard them linked to Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell. They have a massive hole in the middle of their order, so we've heard them linked to J.D. Martinez and the newest Dodger Teoscar Hernandez.

Hernandez made a lot of sense for this Angels team as he could've fit at DH or in a corner outfield spot, and would've been a big addition for the middle of their order. The fit made sense, and the Angels were reportedly interested, but reportedly never even made Hernandez an offer.

LA Angels could be used as leverage with players they're being connected to

Francys Romero notes that the Angels did show interest in Hernandez, but the fact that they never made an offer speaks volumes as to how interested they actually were. I mean, the Red Sox reported offer wasn't all that great, but hey, it's an offer!

We've heard the Angels linked to all of these star players, but they haven't signed anyone of note. Are we sure that the Angels are actually interested enough to sign them? Or are they just being used as leverage so other teams, like the Dodgers, jack the prices up? Hernandez received only one year from the Dodgers, but got $23.5 million. He gets the chance to perform for one year in a loaded lineup, potentially win a World Series, and then cash in even further coming off a better platform year. That sounds pretty good.

All Angels fans can do right now is hope the team is serious about doing something. The team has made it clear that they have no interest in rebuilding, so the only acceptable path would be them trying to win right now. Sticking with the team they had last season only without Ohtani should be a non-starter.

The Angels are fine passing on a player who made that much money in a year, but them not making an offer is what's concerning. It's possible they might not be as interested in signing players as some thought, which is a major issue.