The Angels have a few key holes they need to fill this offseason. Pitching is an obvious one, as well as some depth throughout the lineup. However, The Athletic‘s Jim Bowden wrote about another key position that he’s been hearing the Angels may look to fill.
“The Angels are expected to be involved in the free-agent shortstop market as that position has become one of their top offseason priorities. They also want to upgrade one of their corner outfield positions and add quality starting pitching.”
Shortstop, outfield and pitching were the three biggest needs that Bowden felt this team needed to fix. However, shortstop is the one that caught his eye. Andrew Velazquez was the team’s main shortstop in 2022, playing in 124 games at the position. However, utility man Luis Rengifo spent some time there, as well as David Fletcher, Tyler Wade (who’s no longer with the team) and the up-and-coming shortstop prospect Livan Soto.
As of now, Soto seems like the likely candidate to be the team’s starting shortstop come Opening Day next season, as he impressed in his short time in the big leagues, hitting .400 (22-55) with one home run and nine RBIs. However, Soto is still just 22-years-old, so the team could look for some more MLB-ready shortstop help.