Kansas City Royals: Destinations for Danny Duffy
By David Hill
Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Dodgers came into the offseason with plans to upgrade their lineup and their pitching staff. Well, one of those missions were accomplished with the signing of Anthony Rendon.
That is not to say that the Angels did not address their rotation. They traded for Dylan Bundy, sending away four relatively nondescript minor league pitchers for his services. The Angels also signed Julio Teheran, a solid move, but not exactly the type of acquisition that has fans dreaming of a championship.
Duffy would not necessarily be that type of pitcher either, but he would be an upgrade. As it currently stands, the Angels list Shohei Ohtani as their top starter. Ohtani, while he showed tremendous promise on the mound in 2018, is coming off of Tommy John surgery and is likely to be eased back to action as a pitcher. Andrew Heaney, second on the depth chart, is also coming off an injury plagued year, and has only made at least 20 starts once in his six years in the majors.
While Duffy is not a paragon of health either, he has been the type of pitcher the Angels could use. He has made at least 23 starts in each of the last six seasons, producing above average results over that time. Even his 2019 campaign, if replicated, would be a dramatic upgrade over what Los Angeles had sent to the mound for most of the past season.
The Los Angeles Angels may not have landed any of the top pitchers they desired, but the Kansas City Royals have a possible upgrade. Danny Duffy could be just what the Angels need to solidify the rotation.