Ranking the 6 rumored free agents MLB insider tied to Angels for need

Here we go again -- the Angels have recently been mentioned as possible (that term is always used loosely with regards to the Angels) destinations for several stars and one potential future star. Jon Heyman of The New York Post penned an article that discussed where free agents will receive interest this offseason, and he brought up the Angels as "landing spot guesses" for these six players -- Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Pete Alonso, Munetaka Murakami, Eugenio Suárez, Shane Bieber.

In a vacuum, Heyman is tying the Angels to these six players simply out of need and there is probably no tangible reason to believe the Halos will land ANY of these stars. However, remember when the Angels signed Yusei Kikuchi? That came out of nowhere too! Just saying -- anything is possible!

Heyman brought these six players up because the Angels need any of them in 2026 and beyond, but which of those six do the Angels need the most?

Ranking the 6 rumored free agents MLB insider tied to Angels for need

1. Munetaka Murakami

You're telling me that the Angels could land a 25-year-old third baseman who has a raw power grade of 80/80? Give that kid the Anthony Rendon contract and do not think about it twice!

A young core of Zach Neto, Munetaka Murakami, Jo Adell, Nolan Schanuel, Logan O'Hoppe (hopefully), José Soriano, Reid Detmers, Ben Joyce (hopefully), Caden Dana, Ryan Johnson, Christian Moore and whoever else pops from their pipeline (Tyler Bremner? Sam Bachman? Matthew Lugo?) is incredibly enticing. With the up-and-coming A's and the perpetually above average Astros, Mariners and Rangers in their division, adding a young player of this caliber is of the utmost importance for the Angels.

With Anthony Rendon, Robert Stephenson, Jorge Soler, Travis d'Arnaud and Taylor Ward coming off the books before the 2027 season, the Angels will FINALLY have some financial flexibility in the not-too-distant future. International free agents like Murakami typically receive a lower contract figure in their first season in MLB, partially due to the posting fee and also because organizations try to structure their contracts akin to typical pre-arb, arb, post-arb deals. So, the Halos could theoretically slot Murakami into their books without going over the luxury tax next year, then they could really back-load that deal when all that money comes off the books after the 2026 season.

From an owner's standpoint, Murakami brings a level of star-power that is highly enticing. Murakami uniforms, jerseys, sherseys would sell like hot cakes, and his mammoth home runs would be must-watch viewings on social media. Murakami will undoubtedly be the odds-on favorite for Rookie of the Year if he posts, no matter what league he ends up in. Please Jon Heyman, do not tease us with a Murakami-Angels connection. Please be true. PLEASE!

2. Bo Bichette

Why do the Angels need Bo Bichette when they already have a budding superstar shortstop in Zach Neto? Well, guess who ranks dead last in defensive fWAR as a shortstop this season and could EASILY be transitioned to second base next year and beyond? Bo. Bichette. Can you imagine a Neto-Bichette double play duo moving forward? That's pure electricity, baby!

The Blue Jays star shortstop was having an absolutely phenomenal season before recently hitting the injured list. After a lackluster 2024 season, Bichette has rebounded in a major way for a Blue Jays team that has the best record in the American League. He ranks third amongst players with batting title qualification in batting average (.311). The soon-to-be 28-year-old offers phenomenal bat-to-ball skills and a move to second base could unlock his defensive potential, especially if he's paired with Neto up-the-middle.

Signing Bichette means the Angels could treat Christian Moore like the raw prospect he is, and not continue to hurt his confidence by continually benching him in the majors. Moore struggled mightily in the bigs this year...probably because he was just drafted in 2024? Weird! Bichette is injury-prone, but the Angels could play as their Moore every day second baseman if he does go down with an injury. Not to mention that they could transition Moore to the outfield moving forward, especially if Ward departs in free agency after the 2026 season.

Outbidding the Blue Jays is a tall task, especially for their homegrown star. They do have a whole lot of money on their books moving forward, and the Angels could theoretically outbid them given the aforementioned Rendon, Stephenson, Soler, d'Arnaud, Ward's money being freed up after the 2026 season.

For what it's worth, Dante Bichette was drafted by the California Angels and played for them from 1988-1990 before being traded for Dave Parker before the 1991 season. Angels fans convinced themselves that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would want to play for their favorite team because of Vladimir Guerrero Sr., so expect the same narrative for Dante's son this offseason.

3. Alex Bregman

Adding a player like Alex Bregman goes far beyond what he posts in the box score. Bregman adds an absolutely insane amount of baseball IQ, leadership and makeup into whatever clubhouse he resides in. Not to mention that in his first season with the Red Sox, Bregman has a .279/.362/.474/.836 and still plays well-above average defense.

One could make the case that the Angels need Bregman far more than Murakami or Bichette for exactly those reasons (not to mention the Angels would be sticking it to the Astros), but Bregman's agent Scott Boras will demand an insane amount of money for his services and he will be entering his age-32 season. Bregman has a not-insignificant injury history, and Angels fans might be too eternally scarred by the Rendon signing to fully sign off on a mega-contract for an aging third baseman with a championship (championships in Bregman's case) under his belt. Bregman's having a fantastic career, but he also benefitted mightily from playing in Daikin Park (formerly Minute Maid Park) and Fenway Park. His swing is perfect for those parks with short left field porches, and his elite production might not necessarily transfer over to Angel Stadium.

4. Shane Bieber

Finally, a pitcher! Plus, he grew up an Angels fan!

The Angels' rotation desperately could use Bieber, who is performing well for the Blue Jays after getting activated off the injured list. Kikuchi and Soriano are pitching admirably despite being asked to do too much, so slotting in Bieber with those two makes all the sense in the world. The former Cy Young winner will be 31-years-old and should have a normal offseason to prepare for next season (unless he experiences a physical set-back in September or October in the playoffs),

5. Eugenio Suárez

The now-Mariners third baseman currently sports a .534 SLG, a mark that ranks 12th in MLB and is higher than that of Juan Soto, Ketel Marte, Pete Alonso, José Ramirez, Riley Greene and even Jo Adell! Suárez will be 35-years-old in July of next year and his normally elite defense has nose-dived this year. However, those factors will definitely be baked into his value on the open market next season. Suárez will definitely be cheaper than Bichette and Bregman, but the Halos would still need to splurge to bring him in.

One could make a case that re-signing a much cheaper Yoán Moncada instead of overpaying for Suárez makes more sense for the Angels' window to contend. One could not make the same case for adding Bregman, so that's why Suárez is here on the list.

6. Pete Alonso

Adding Alonso makes sense until you think about it for more than five seconds. The Angels could use a preeminent slugger, yes. He has played with Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto this season, so he will be a prime regression candidate if he does end up leaving Queens. Plus, aging first basemen are notably bad players to give large contracts to.

As the Angels are experiencing with Jorge Soler this season, adding a slugger just for the sake of adding a slugger can come back to bite you. Trout needs to DH the rest of his career, plain and simple. Moving Nolan Schanuel to the outfield in favor of Alonso would be a disaster. Yes, the Angels could trade Schanuel if they land Alonso but not enough can be said of having a contact-first player like Schanuel in a lineup that has Neto, Trout, Adell and O'Hoppe who have inflated strikeout rates. Moving off of Schanuel and adding Alonso makes the lineup far more redundant and high-variant.

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