New York Mets: Top three destinations for Zack Wheeler
By Ben Fadden
2. Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels didn’t sign Mike Trout for $426 million just to have him be the only exciting thing Angels fans have during baseball season. And I know they didn’t lure in manager Joe Maddon just for him to manage a mediocre team.
They want to take the next step, and they want to do it this winter. And it starts with signing starting pitching.
Everyone is believing that Gerrit Cole will just take a hometown discount to sign with the Angels, but he is under Scott Boras, so he is going to go where he gets the most money just like Bryce Harper did a year ago.
And there are other suitors out there that will spend on Gerrit Cole that is closer to contending like the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Therefore, the Angels shouldn’t bank on signing Cole, but what they should do is go get Zack Wheeler. For one he is going to be cheaper than Cole and I believe that Mickey Callaway being back as a pitching coach will make him a great coach again, and I think he could be the guy –like Brent Strom was to Cole– and transform Wheeler into an ace.
I also don’t think there is a huge drop off between Wheeler and Cole if you were to put them both on the Angels.
The Angels would be a good fit for Wheeler, but the #1 suitor is closer to contention than the Angels with a lot of stars in the clubhouse…