While most of the marquee names are off the board in free agency, there are still some good players left who can make an impact on the 2023 Los Angeles Angels.
Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson are obviously the headliners as they’re star shortstops at a big position of need for the Angels. If the Halos were to sign one of those players where would they stand in the AL West? I think they’d gain a lot of ground on teams like the Astros and Mariners.
The Angels still need to upgrade at shortstop while also signing another starter and reliever at the bare minimum. Let’s see what they do!
MLB news:
Frank Schwindel signed a deal with NPB’s Orix Buffaloes. Schwindel shone in the second half of the 2021 campaign but really struggled in 2022 after being handed the first base job and ended up spending some time in the minors. Hopefully this will be the fresh start he needs.
Christian Vazquez is reportedly looking to start and play for a contender. Could he be a fit for the Angels? The Halos did pursue Willson Contreras but Contreras has played some first base and left field before while Vazquez is really only a catcher. The Angels should stay away from Vazquez and play Logan O’Hoppe in my opinion. It’s very possible he lands back in Houston.
The Reds are reportedly interested in trading one of their young shortstop prospects in exchange for some outfield help. If guys like Jo Adell and Mickey Moniak had any sort of real value this would be awesome but the Angels, unfortunately, don’t have the pieces to acquire one of the talented shortstop prospects right now.
The Giants signed Sean Manaea to a two-year $25 million dollar deal. The contract reportedly includes an opt out after the first year. Manaea is a guy I thought the Angels might’ve been interested in to fill their vacant rotation spot. Manaea making $12.5 million dollars annually shows me once again how much of a steal the Tyler Anderson contract ended up being as he’s making just $500,000 more annually with an extra year and no opt out.