Los Angeles Angels: Three free agent pitching targets
By Nick Stevens
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.