Los Angeles Angels: Three free agent pitching targets
The Los Angeles Angels must be aggressive in the free agent pitching market this winter.
It wouldn’t be an MLB offseason without the Los Angeles Angels entering the winter in desperate need of pitching help. Surprisingly, Julio Tehran wasn’t the answer to get the Angels into the postseason this year.
Ten different starting pitchers took to the mound for the Angels in 2020, a group that posted the second-worst ERA in the majors (5.52) and ranked 21st in combined fWAR at 2.9.
The brightest spot in the rotation was, as everyone expected, Dylan Bundy who went 6-3 with a 3.29 ERA (2.95 FIP), a career-high 27% strikeout rate, and career-lows in walk rate (6.4%), home run rate (0.69/9 IP), average against (.207), and WHIP (1.04). He was the Dylan Bundy Baltimore Orioles fans waited years for, but never saw.
But after Bundy and decent seasons from Andrew Heaney and Griffin Canning, there’s a big drop off in starting rotation talent and if the Angels want to win a World Series with Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, and Shohei Ohtani as their offensive core, the lack of aggressiveness in bringing in quality pitching talent must end now.
Give the organization credit for Bundy, but he isn’t an ace and multiple pieces are needed to get this team where they want to be. It’s also not just the starting rotation that needs help. This Angels bullpen blew a league-leading 14 saves in 2020.
Luckily for the Los Angeles Angels, there is quality pitching available in free agency. With a GM yet to be named, it’s unclear just how aggressive the Angels will be, but this isn’t a rebuilding team and the opportunity to win is now.
Here are three free agent pitchers who should be at the top of the Los Angeles Angels shopping list.
The top target of the Los Angeles Angels should be Trevor Bauer.
Let’s start with the most obvious target in Trevor Bauer. Do I think the Los Angeles Angels will eventually sign Bauer? That depends on his market and how aggressive of a GM the team brings in, but the Angels should absolutely be in the mix for this year’s top free agent pitcher.
Bauer is sure to garner a big contract this offseason, but if he remains adamant about only signing short-term deals, it’s a bit more helpful for the Angels who are currently dealing with the contracts of Albert Pujols and Justin Upton.
His off-the-field actions shouldn’t be dismissed, but it’s hard to deny his dominance on the mound. In 11 starts this season, Bauer struck out 36% of hitters he faced, held opponents to a .159 average, and owned a 0.79 WHIP in 73 innings. In his lone playoff appearance against Atlanta, Bauer tossed 7.2 scoreless innings, striking out 12 while allowing just two hits and no walks.
Bauer would give LA the top of the rotation arm this team has not had in a long time and put them in a position to make some serious noise in the AL West. It’s well past time the organization provides Mike Trout with the help he needs and going all in next year with Bauer slotted in the top spot of the rotation gets LA much closer to a World Series.
Marcus Stroman has the tools to lead the Los Angeles Angels rotation.
If the Los Angeles Angels want to be the team to make the biggest statement this offseason, signing Trevor Bauer and Marcus Stroman will do the trick. These two arms are reportedly at the top of the list of starting pitching targets for the Angels and while getting both may be a bit difficult, one can dream.
One of the biggest Mike Trout fans out there, Stroman did not pitch in 2020 after starting the year on the Injured List and then smartly opting out of the season after accruing enough service time to enter free agency. I would have done the same if I was on the Mets roster.
It’s difficult to guess at what kind of contract will land his services. He hasn’t pitched in a competitive game in a year, but his talent level is well beyond that of being forced to sign a one-year prove-it deal.
At 29, Stroman is fresh and brings with him a dominant and largely injury-free resume, along with a history of pitching in big games. He’s been worth an average of 3.0 fWAR each season as a full-time starting pitcher and owns a career 3.76 ERA, 3.64 FIP, 58.6% groundball rate, and a career walk rate of under 7%.
He’s not one to pile up the strikeouts (19.6% career mark), but his enormous groundball rate, low walk rate, and ability to keep the ball in the yard all make up for the lack of strikeouts and have been the driving force behind his early career success.
If the Angels are priced out of the Bauer sweepstakes, landing Marcus Stroman to lead their rotation is a pretty solid consolation prize.
Kevin Gausman is a solid option to anchor the backend of the Los Angeles Angels rotation.
The odds of LA landing both Bauer and Stroman are slim and they will need to sign at least two prominent arms if they want to have a chance at finding playoff success.
The trade market could be a viable route to acquire another arm, with names like Joe Musgrove and Lance Lynn likely available, and more risky names like Yusei Kikuchi and Alex Cobb, but the Angels don’t need to waste their time with bounce-back candidates.
One more name who should be a target of the Angels is Kevin Gausman. Pairing Gausman with Dylan Bundy to form the back-end of a playoff rotation would send the city of Baltimore into a frenzy, but help solidify a dominant rotation for the Angels.
Gausman signed a one-year deal with San Francisco last season and re-established himself as a reliable starter after troubles with Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Atlanta.
The 29-year-old righty went 3-3 with a 3.62 ERA (3.09 FIP), a career-high 32.5% strikeout rate, a 1.11 WHIP, and was worth 1.5 fWAR through 12 outings in 2020. His average four-seam velocity jumped from 93.9. mph to 95.1 mph and his split-finger produced a near 46% whiff rate and held opponents to a .106 average, throwing the pitch 42% of the time.
Despite his dominant year, it’s unlikely he receives a Qualifying Offer from San Francisco, leaving Gausman free to land a deserving contract elsewhere.
Next. Mike Trout is still the best. dark
Regardless of who assumes the GM role for the Los Angeles Angels, it’s time to listen to their star player and do whatever it takes to reach the World Series. Going after at least two of these arms won’t solve every roster issue, but they will take one of the league’s worst starting rotations into one of the more formidable groups in the big leagues.