Los Angeles Angels: Can They Contend in 2017?
By Joshua Mayer
With a couple low-key additions this offseason, the Los Angeles Angels are shaping up to be much more of a complete team, but does this mean they can fight for a playoff spot?
So far this winter, the Los Angeles Angels have brought back Andrew Bailey, signed Jesse Chavez, and traded for Cameron Maybin and Danny Espinosa. Considering two of the team’s biggest weaknesses were left field and second base, the front office did a great job to fill those holes while not giving up much in terms of prospects and salary. Let’s take a look at a mock Angels lineup for Opening Day 2017 with the current roster.
Lineup:
RF Kole Calhoun
CF Mike Trout
1B C.J. Cron
2B Danny Espinosa
LF Cameron Maybin
Rotation:
SP Tyler Skaggs
SP Jesse Chavez
Now certainly the rotation does not jump off the page, especially considering Richards will be continuing his attempt to stave off Tommy John surgery. But it certainly will improve with Jered Weaver, Tim Lincecum and Jhoulys Chacin all departing. Former top prospect Alex Meyer is also available and Andrew Heaney should be returning sometime mid-season.
The bullpen is not exactly a bright spot, though right-hander Cam Bedrosian was fantastic in 45 appearances with a 1.12 ERA. Huston Street can be expected to bounce back, and the team has some nice complementary pieces in Bailey, Mike Morin, Jose Alvarez, Deolis Guerra, J.C. Ramirez, and Cody Ege Finding a left-handed reliever to complement the unproven Ege should probably be next on the to-do list for GM Billy Eppler.
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But neither the rotation nor bullpen should be the reason for optimism in Anaheim. Instead, the team’s lineup is what should be improved. As FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal chronicled earlier in the week, the Angels’ run differential was a not-too-bad -10 throughout the 2016 season. This should have created more than 74 victories, but sometimes bad luck or inconsistency gets the best of a team in baseball. With the team shoring up the holes in the lineup, this run differential should only improve. Maybin adds a complete third outfielder, as he quietly had a very productive 2016 when he was healthy (.315/.383/.418, 15 SB). Espinosa is far from perfect, but is a Gold Glove caliber fielder with some pop in his bat, a much needed improvement over Johnny Giavotella.
If Pujols can stay healthy and continuing hitting, and if Cron can build off his breakout year in 2016, the Angels can have a lethal lineup. Perhaps joining the Welington Castillo sweepstakes or going after Matt Wieters would be beneficial, but either way the team is strong one-through-eight in the order. Going after Kurt Suzuki or having a Geovany Soto or Chris Iannetta reunion could also be options for a cash-strapped Angels front office.
To get back to the question – can they contend? Let’s take a look at the competition. For starters, we can rule out the Athletics as being a playoff team unless some minor miracle happens. So that leaves four in the division. The Astros have made huge waves this offseason, and the Rangers are the reigning champs. The Mariners also figure to be competitive, making it tough sledding for the Angels to take home the AL West.
When looking at Wild Card competition, the chances look to be a bit less bleak. Over in the AL Central, the White Sox have mailed it in for 2016, and the Twins have not made the necessary improvements to jump back into playoff contention. The Royals may also take a step back, and the Tigers are said to be looking to shed payroll. In the East, the Rays seem similar to the Twins in that they lack the progress necessary to make a big jump in win total. The Blue Jays should have a very good rotation but may be without three of their top bats from the past few seasons. The Orioles may be a candidate for regression if they continue to have below average starting pitching.
With all of this being said about the rest of the American League, whether or not the Angels contend will end up coming down to how good they end up being (obviously). They have certainly made strong moves thus far in the offseason while avoiding prior offseason mistakes such as Josh Hamilton.
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If they can find a catcher and left-handed reliever on reasonable contracts, the team will have a complete look going into 2017. Either way, the team certainly has strengths. They possess the best player in baseball in center field, and also one of the most athletic outfields in the American League. The addition of Espinosa gives the Angels possibly the top fielding middle infield duo in the majors, and Pujols, Cron and Escobar are certainly no scrubs at the plate. If the team can get some improvements on the mound, we could be seeing the Angels in October once again.