Roundtable's Peter Pappalardo, Lucas Stackpole and Bob Houk talk about Los Angeles' offseason and look into some potential last-minute signings.
With the hot stove cooling off and the Major League Baseball regular season approaching, Lucas Stackpole, Peter Pappalardo and Bob Houk open up the show looking at one of baseball's most exciting events: the World Baseball Classic.
Unfortunately for Los Angeles Angels fans, our superstar outfielder Mike Trout will not be participating in the event. This is a major loss for any and all Angels fans, as well as baseball fans across the globe. When baseball is showcased on a worldwide stage, Trout is a player that everyone can rally behind.
The 2023 Team USA Captain won't be playing due to insurance issues, which have come up for many MLB stars, such as New York Mets' shortstop Francisco Lindor and Houston Astros' shortstop Carlos Correa, to name a few.
Trout has had a lengthy history of injuries and likely doesn't want to risk injuring himself again, where this time he'd have to pay for any medical bills out of pocket. The situation itself says more about how unfortunate it is that there are so many insurance problems in the tournament than Trout's unwillingness to take the risk.
Our trio is especially upset that the three-time MVP won't be suiting up to represent his country, and notes that this year's festivities will be strange without him.
Looking at some Angels news, the club recently signed left-handed reliever Brent Suter to a one-year, $1.25 million deal. Lucas doesn't think the move was a needle-mover, but acknowledges that it was a decent addition to their bullpen.
With Spring Training right around the corner, the trio does a deep dive into some of the remaining free agent starting pitchers and determines who the Angels should make a final push for. Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito, Zac Gallen are all surprisingly available and need to find a home before the 2026 season, with the latter dubbed a great fit in Anaheim. All three will surely ink a deal before the season, and Los Angeles could greatly benefit from signing either of them.
Briefly doing a hypothetical, the trio asks the question: if the Angels sign Gallen and trade for Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, is Los Angeles a playoff team? Be sure to listen to the podcast to see what Lucas, Peter and Bob had to say, and leave a comment below on your thoughts.
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