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The Los Angeles Angels have been extremely busy during the offseason, scooping up players left and right. They’ve improved their roster in all areas, adding to their rotation, bullpen, and lineup. With all these additions, could they be ready to compete for an AL West title and dethrone the Astros? Could they exceed their win total? Let’s take a look.
Additions
SP Julio Teheran
SP Matt Andriese
SP Dylan Bundy
SP Mike Mayers
RP Parker Markel
RP Kyle Keller
C Jason Castro
3B Anthony Rendon
Manager Joe Maddon
Subtractions
RP Adalberto Mejia
C Kevin Smith
OF Kole Calhoun
Offseason news
Give the Angels credit, for a team that lost 90 games last season, they knew they needed change. Finishing 35 games out of first place, the team did just that. They hired Joe Maddon to be their manager, replacing Brad Ausmus, who lasted just one season. While Maddon has his share of doubters, he’s been Manager of the Year on three different occasions and won a World Series with the Cubs in 2016, breaking the 108-year drought for that franchise. The 65-year-old should bring a fresh attitude to a team that is in desperate need of one.
The biggest move was a shocker, as they signed the highly sought after Anthony Rendon to a seven-year, $245 million deal. This came to fruition after the Angels missed out on signing Gerrit Cole, who would go on to sign with the Yankees for a nine-year, $324 million deal. Rendon is a fantastic consolation prize when you consider he just belted 34 home runs and knocked in 126 with the Nationals through 146 games last season. For a team that hovered around league average in power last season, Rendon is a welcome addition. In a smaller move, the Angels also added Jason Castro, who with the Twins posted a career-high .767 OPS.
The other big need for the Angels to address was their starting rotation. The Angels rotation was amongst the worst in all of baseball and the front office did their part to try and improve that. The Angels made the move to acquire Dylan Bundy from the Orioles for four prospects. While he’s an injury concern, the move to Angel Stadium should be a massive upgrade from his usual home of Orioles Park. He possesses some fantastic swing-and-miss stuff and posted his highest ground ball rate at 41.5%, which is up from his 34% the year prior.
They also signed free agent Julio Teheran to a one-year deal after he spent his entire nine-year career with the Braves. He’s extremely durable and an inning eater, having thrown at least 174 innings since 2013. Teheran is only 29-years-old and could bring some very good upside at his team-friendly $9 million deal. He’s struggled against lefties throughout his career but he seemingly made strides in 2019, something the Angels hope he can carry over into 2020.
Best bet
As you can imagine, the win total for the Angels has jumped dramatically when you consider they went 72-90 last year. Currently, their total is set at 84.5, meaning they’d need 13 more win than last year to hit the over. Are the additions of Rendon, Bundy and Teheran enough to hit that number? I think so. Let’s not forget, Rendon is going to be placed right in the middle of a lineup that still includes Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Justin Upton. This team could post some good power numbers while players like Albert Pujols and Tommy La Stella could push for 20 home runs as well. With some solidified guys in the rotation as well, I think the Angels go for a big turnaround in 2020.
Los Angeles Angels OVER 84.5 wins.
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