3 moves for the Los Angeles Angels this offseason
By David Hill
Bring back Raisel Iglesias
The Los Angeles Angels’ approach to their pitching staff has been to slap one year bandages on it and hope for the best. One of those players actually worked out in 2021.
Raisel Iglesias was acquired as a salary dump from the Reds during the last offseason. He had bounced back from a rough 2019 season, looking like a solid closer once again during the pandemic shortened season. However, he was still a bit of a question mark, especially as the 2020 campaign was very much an outlier.
Iglesias proved that he was back to being an elite closer last year. He notched 34 saves while posting a 2.57 ERA and a 0.929 WHiP in his 70 innings, striking out 103 batters with 12 walks. His 11 homers allowed were troublesome, but Iglesias held opponents to a .610 OPS to mitigate those home run problems.
Even with his tendency to give up the long ball, he is clearly the top closer in free agency. He should also be one of the Angels’ top priorities, especially as they look to contend going forward. Locking in the ninth inning will make fixing the rest of the bullpen much easier.
The Los Angeles Angels have a few holes in their bullpen. Bringing Raisel Iglesias back will make a major difference in solving those problems.