Los Angeles Angeles made offer to Matt Garza at Winter Meetings

Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno doesn’t like to wait long for a response when he makes an offer to an available free agent. The Angels reportedly made an offer very similar to the four year, $50 Million contract that Matt Garza signed with the Milwaukee Brewers to the right-hander in December, at the Winter Meetings, according to Ken Rosenthal at FOX Sports.

Moreno and the Angels did not leave the offer on the table for long.

Los Angeles headed into the offseason likely to look for at least one starting pitcher, with Jason Vargas likely to depart via free agency (he’d sign with Kansas City). Few expected the team to make a sizeable acquisition on the open market, however.

The team got started in early December, parting with Mark Trumbo in a three team deal that would land them a pair of left-handers in Tyler Skaggs and Hector Santiago. They then brought in Mark Mulder, attempting a comeback after having not pitching in the Major Leagues since 2008, and also added Joe Smith to help strengthen the bullpen. Garza would have been a much bigger acquisition and would certainly have made a bigger splash on the team’s projected rotation (which currently includes both Skaggs and Santiago in the #4 and #5 spots).

The Angels are not flush with pitching depth in their upper minor leagues, lending the question of whether they’ll still pursue another arm before the team is ready to break camp at the end of March. There are options remaining on the open market (don’t expect an Ervin Santana reunion, however) that could potentially serve as an upgrade for this team.