Jon Jay and Seth Smith
So, Gonzalez may be the pie in the sky dream. More realistic would be to get a quality backup infielder who could cover shortstop or a quality outfielder who could cover center field and still provide something with the bat.
There are really two perfect fits for exactly that on the market in Jon Jay and Seth Smith. Jay has been a starting center fielder for quite a bit of his career. Over 8 seasons, Jay has averaged over 3.5 plate appearances per game played, so a bench role would be a reduced role for him, though he’s been in that role for the last three seasons primarily.
Jay does offer excellent contact skills. While he doesn’t offer a lot of power or speed, he has a career line of .288/.355/.383 career slash line for a career OPS+ of 103, so slightly above average with the stick.
The most important thing about Jay is that he has an excellent glove in the outfield. He has the arm to handle the corners along with the instincts and range to handle center field.
Smith probably has his worst skills with the glove compared to Jay. Smith has primarily been a platoon outfielder in his career due to his impressive skill from the left side in a platoon, and he’s not been asked to play center field in some time due to that. However, he has the defensive chops to pass in center in a pinch, though likely not as a long-term starter.
His bat is where Smith would offer impressive value for the Los Angeles Angels. He has spent 11 years in the major leagues with a .261/.344/.446 line and averaged 16 home runs per 162 games. He offers excellent gap power and the ability to knock out 12-17 home runs in a platoon role.
While he wouldn’t likely get that level of playing time, Smith could certainly get his share of time pinch hitting late in games or filling in against tough righties to give Upton or Pujols a day off.
Either Smith or Jay would not be cheap, but they could both be had for a single year at $5-7 million as a very positive piece of the bench.
While these two are the perfect fits, there is one more that could be a fun draw for fans and a mentor for the biggest signing of the Los Angeles Angels offseason.
Next: Possible mentor