Angels Roster Ranked Low in This Offseason List

The Los Angeles Angels are heading into a season of uncertainty, and right now they have no idea when their new ownership group will be taking over. Stan Kroenke and his KSE Sports group haven’t hired a GM or a manager, which makes it close to impossible to evaluate this roster. 

That didn’t stop Mike Petriello of MLB.com from giving it a shot, and his ranking was more or less what you’d expect. He ranked the roster at No. 28, but it was unusual that the did rank above one of the two teams that were ranked lower, as the Cincinnati Reds were rated below the Angels for some reason. 

First the basics. The overall needs were listed as a president of baseball operations and a manager, which is a hilarious commentary about the state of baseball going into the lockout.

Beyond that, it’s actually easier to list what the Angels do have than  what they don’t. The Angels do have a hypothetically strong starting rotation, starting with lefty Reid Detmers and rookie right-hander Walbert Urena, and Ryan Johnson has the potential to join him along with several other strong rookies.  

The Angels also have shortstop Zach Neto and outfielder Mike Trout, who will also probably be moving from center fielf to left. The other possibilities are Wade Meckler in right, maybe as part of a platoon, and first baseman Nolan Schanuel, who is solid by doesn’t hit for power and could wind up being a trade candidate. 

That’s about it for all intents and purposes. Second and third are both open at this point, and the Angels went with a series of veteran defensive catchers who barely hit at all after trading Logan O’Hopple to the Texas Rangers shortly before the trade deadline. 

The bullpen, meanwhile, will need a total rebuild, including a real closer, as the Angels had all kinds of struggles with blown leads at the end of games. They also need multiple set-up men and middle relievers to fill those important gaps going forward. 

That’s a big list, but there are more items before any of those things can be addressed. The GM and president of baseball operations will set the tone and the overall strategy, not to mention the approach to trades, prospects, signings and so on. Without that, the specific problems of the roster become borderline impossible to address and then some, especially with the lockout interfering in the process.