Los Angeles Angels: Will 2020 finally be the year?

Cash to spend

As part of all the league-wide commotion on Monday, the Los Angeles Angels declined its club option with outfielder Kole Calhoun ($14 million), instead of paying the $1 million buyout. With the team’s starting pitching needs and the steep price for the 32-year-old, letting Calhoun walk was generally expected.

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In terms of the cost of the Angels’ arbitration-eligible players, the Halos should be set up to make a few big acquisitions this Winter. 28-year-old starting pitcher, Andrew Heaney, is projected to earn $5 million in 2020, the highest projected arbitration salary among all eligible Angels, according to MLB Trade Rumors.

Additionally, the Angels will receive a nice boost to its 2020 budget, as several one-year deals are off the books: starting pitchers Matt Harvey ($11 million) and Trevor Cahill ($9 million), reliever Cody Allen ($8.5 million), catcher Jonathan Lucroy ($3.35 million) and first baseman Justin Bour ($2.5 million) should give the team roughly $34 million extra to burn this offseason.

That’s right about what free-agent starting pitcher Gerrit Cole will command as a yearly salary (perhaps 8 years, $280 million). Cole as well as 2019 World Series MVP, Stephen Strasburg (he will most likely opt out of his deal), are both California natives and have been reportedly on the Angels wish list.

It wouldn’t be too far-fetched to believe the Angels could potentially obtain either of those two superstars. However, it may serve them better to spread out their budget and perhaps acquire several second-tier arms for the rotation.

Regardless, the Angels payroll “will go up,” according to owner Arte Moreno last week. Considering how most owners enjoy talking a good game, it would be fair to remain skeptical about that statement; although, it doesn’t require too much squinting to see that Moreno may very well be telling the truth.

The team just hired highly sought after Joe Maddon as its manager, and it was reported that the organization’s “willingness to spend may have been a key benefit” in Maddon’s decision making. Not just that, Los Angeles Angels general manager Billy Eppler is entering the final year of his contract, which could very well increase the team’s urgency to get deals done.

Fortunate for us, it won’t be too long at all before we’re able to see if any of the above actually matters. Once the hot stove of the offseason cranks up, the team will have no choice but to act. If not, they will simply be left behind… and the wasting-Trout narrative will certainly carry on.