Baseball’s hot-stove performance is constantly being evaluated throughout the offseason, and at this point we’ve seen enough to break teams down in different tiers. Chad Jennings of The Athletic took a run at this yesterday, and he came up with seven of them, with the Los Angeles Angels in the lowest tier.
That tier was labeled “Half Measures,” and it’s a pretty accurate assessment of what the Angels are doing. He identified all of the current moves: trading outfielder Taylor Ward for pitcher Grayson Rodriguez, acquiring “faded” infield prospect Vaughn Grissom, taking a one-year gamble on Alek Manoah, and signing veteran relievers Drew Pomeranz and Jordan Romano.
It sounds like a lot, but Jennings also asked the question that’s in the mind of most Angels fans: Does that add up to anything? It’s an especially relevant question given the issues with the recently concluded Tyler Skaggs trial and the fact that the contract of former third baseman Anthony Rendon hasn’t been settled yet.
You can make a strong argument that most, if not all of these moves, are cosmetic. The trade for Rodriguez is the closest to being an actual big move, provided he can stay healthy.
A lot of this depends on your perspective. If you’re a “glass half-full” type, these are real moves that rely in large part on new manager Kurt Suzuki, pitching coach Mike Maddux and hitting coach Brady Anderson.
If you lean toward “glass half-empty” analysis, there’s plenty to work with here, especially given the Halos’ history. GM Perry Minasian isn’t highly regarded by the fan base, and that’s a serious understatement. He’s made a lot of bad moves during his tenure, and Minasian has actually had the audacity to suggest that a losing season with more wins than they had in previous seasons still represents real improvement.
It doesn’t, and Angels fans are tired of hearing arguments like that. What would break the logjam here and vault the Angels out of this category would be a real move where the Angels either spend real money, get a health player in a trade, or both.
There are plenty of possibilities given the holes in the roster. The Angels currently need a fourth starter, a real closer, a third baseman, a second baseman and a left fielder. If that sounds like a lot, that’s because it is.
The excuses are just about gone, too. The Skaggs trial is over, and the judgement amount has been named. Rendon’s agent, Scott Boras, has indicated a willingness to negotiate terms of his client’s buyout in a way that makes sense for both parties. It’s time to make moves—real moves that would take the Angels out of this category.