Los Angeles Angels: How Mike Trout can get back to the playoffs

Mike Trout hasn’t made the postseason since 2014 when the Los Angeles Angels were swept in the ALDS, but here’s how he can get back there in 2020.

Mike Trout is the best player in the game, but he hasn’t had a lot of support around him in recent years. The Los Angeles Angels will need to change that if they want to get Trout into the spotlight next season.

Joe Maddon is a good start, as he is one of the smartest managers in the game and has won championships before, but there’s a lot of holes to fix.

The biggest hole to fix is the starting pitching. Gerrit Cole is the big fish in the market that the Los Angeles Angels will be in on, but Billy Eppler will need to add multiple arms in order for the ANgels to have a good rotation.

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dTyler Skaggs had the best ERA last season among starters (4.29), but he is sadly no longer with us. Andrew Heaney and Griffin Canning will need to take big steps forward to get the Angels in the position to win ballgames on a more consistent basis.

But the top of the rotation should be addressed by adding free agents. Angels owner, Arte Moreno, wants to win and he has said that the payroll will increase in 2020.

Zack Wheeler is going to be at the top of the Angels’ wish list, as he could be one of the best starters in the game if he is paired with a great pitching coach, and Mickey Callaway fits that bill.

Hyun-Jin Ryu and Madison Bumgarner are other options that will be looked at, but Angels fans want the big guy.

Cole is an obvious fit, as he went to Angels games as a kid and his Houston teammates even thought before the season ended that he will be going back home.

Well, Mike Trout needs him because the Angels have basically wasted the beginning of his career and the Angels haven’t won a playoff game since 2009 when they lost to the New York Yankees in the ALDS.

If you watched this postseason, it is clear that if you want to make it to October and compete, they need a strong rotation, and the Los Angeles Angels have the chance to get one by adding starting pitching this winter.