There is one top reliever still on the market. In fact, of the MLB free agents on the market, Adam Ottavino has the highest WAR of all relief pitchers.
Signing Ottavino would not necessarily fit with the other off-season acquisitions. He comes without the drama of Matt Harvey or the up-and-down seasons of Trevor Cahill. Ottavino has pitched in relief in Colorado, where pitching is tough. And, he’s done well.
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Ottavino is 33-years-old and had his best season in 2018 with the Rockies. He pitched 77.2 innings with an ERA of 2.43 with an ERA+ of 193. His WHIP was 0.993. He proved that he can be used in a variety of situations, from pitching in the 7th and 8th to closing out games. He finished the season with 34 holds (an under-rated stat).
The Angels need a closer and Ottavino could do it. Closer-by-committee just doesn’t seem to work for many teams. The best teams in the MLB have closers, which is why they have the reputation that they have. Imagine what the Yankees would have been like without Mariano Rivera or if the Cubs didn’t have Aroldis Chapman in 2016.
If the Angels want to be great, they need a closer who will get them there. They need a pitcher with consistency and presence. The closer needs to bring a slight bit of fear to the opposing batters. While several of the Angels hitters have all of those qualities, there isn’t one bullpen pitcher who does.
If the 2019 Los Angeles Angels want to be taken seriously, they need to sign at least one seriously good bullpen pitcher. And, they need to do it before the best ones are gone. The fans, the lineup, and the rotation deserve nothing less.