3 potential landing spots for Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson

Los Angeles Angels

If the Los Angeles Angels are going to have a chance at keeping Shohei Ohtani, they need to start winning now.

Despite having a generational talent in Mike Trout, and a player that has not been seen since the days of Martin Dihigo in Ohtani, the Angels have not found their way to the postseason since 2014. Those failures certainly have not gone unnoticed by Ohtani, who said that the 2022 campaign left him with a “rather negative impression” as he looked back.

Although the Angels have numerous holes that they need to fill, the middle of their infield is at the top of the list. David Fletcher and Luis Rengifo are the likely starting middle infielders at this point, and both might be better suited as utility players. Bringing in Dansby Swanson by himself would not be all that the Angels would need, but he would stabilize the shortstop position while providing another above average bat and the type of defense that the Angels need.

However, just like with anything involving the Angels, there are problems. Arte Moreno is looking to sell the franchise and it is uncertain as to whether or not any prospective new owners would want to have an inflated payroll. Even if a deal is not close, there may be concerns about Moreno spending on payroll this year and into the future if he is not going to own the team much longer. Swanson makes perfect sense, but it is a question of budget.

The Los Angeles Angels would be a great fit for Dansby Swanson. The question is whether or not the current ownership is going to spend on payroll this offseason since the team is up for sale.