The Los Angeles Angels have made an abundance of low risk moves to try and fill some holes in their roster, specifically on the mound.
General manager Perry Minasian has been quite active in the pitching market, but he hasn’t gone out and gotten any of the big names. In fact, most of Minasian’s signings have been “reclamation projects,” or players who have fallen off over the last couple of seasons looking to bounce back with a fresh start.
The Angels are taking fliers on several former All-Stars like right-handers Alek Manoah, Jordan Romano and Kirby Yates as well as left-hander Drew Pomeranz, who was excellent in his first season back in Major League Baseball since 2021.
The team also made a huge trade during the beginning of the offseason, sending left fielder Taylor Ward to the Baltimore Orioles for right-hander Grayson Rodriguez. Rodriguez could slot in at the top of the rotation from the jump, though he is rehabbing injuries that caused him to miss all of 2025.
While addressing the weakest part of the team is fantastic (if it all goes well), the Angels still need to get better positionally. Los Angeles has shown they aren’t interested in the biggest names on the market, though signing a player like Cody Bellinger could still be a possibility, so the club will likely go for cheaper veterans who can still provide value.
Outfielder Harrison Bader fits that profile and would be a great addition to the Angels.
“Bader is coming off the best offensive season of his career at age 31 after hitting .277/.347/.449 with a 117 OPS+ for the Minnesota Twins and Phillies in 2025, batting a career-high 501 times,” ESPN’s David Schoenfield wrote Friday. “He can still run and play center field and brings a lot of energy. On the other hand, that level of offense was likely a stone-cold fluke. He posted an 80 OPS+ from 2022 to 2024 and his Statcast expected metrics -- .223 average, .364 slugging -- are right in line with previous seasons.
“Believers will point to an improved hard-hit rate (which came with an increased strikeout rate), but even then, Bader still ranked in just the 36th percentile in that category. It would be wiser to expect his career norms at the plate than what he did in 2025.”
The Halos need outfield help and Bader is an excellent fielder who just had a very nice hitting season. Bader hit 17 home runs and drove in 54 runs, both career-highs, and would be a cheap low-risk, high-reward acquisition.