Lucas Stackpole, Bob Houk and Peter Pappalardo discuss recent trade and free agency rumors surrounding the Los Angeles Angels.
Lucas Stackpole, Bob Houk and Peter Pappalardo open up this week's show discussing the situation regarding the Los Angeles Angels' polarizing outfielder Anthony Rendon, and take a look into what went wrong with his stint in Anaheim.
The club recently bought out his contract, and our trio dives into what many would consider a complete failure of an experiment. With Rendon off the roster, Lucas notes that the Angels have to fill the void at the hot corner.
Fans speculated that Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto would be the solution at third base, but last week the infielder signed with the Toronto Blue Jays -- effectively ending any hope that Los Angeles would sign a big name at third.
On the topic of trade hypotheticals, our trio mentions the short-lived rumor that the Angels could target St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado. The 10-time Gold Glove winner shot down any hope that he'd suit up for the Angels, ending that dream for fans as well.
While most news related to Los Angeles as of late has been bleak, Lucas mentions that Foul Territory's Erik Kratz dubbed the Angels a sleeper team to land former Blue Jays' superstar Bo Bichette.
All three of our hosts agreed that it would be a great signing for the Angels, but their competition for the infielder is stiff. Among other teams interested are the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers. There would likely be a hefty price tag attached to the 27-year-old, and the Angels may be wary of spending after the aforementioned Rendon disaster.
Lucas thinks the club should be all-in on the pursuit of Bichette, and notes that there would have to be some shuffling around in the infield. However, his easy fix is to interchange Zach Neto and Bichette between second base and shortstop, then have Vaughn Grissom and Christian Moore split covering third base.
Bob admits that he thinks the Angels' hands are tied, needing to make a splash to compete and Bichette is one of the best remaining players on the free agent market. Without signing the infielder, the club would have to pull off some sort of miracle to even think of competing in the 2026 season.
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