MLB Winter Meetings: What's on the Los Angeles Angels Agenda?
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim finished the 2010 season with an 80-82 record and a third place finish in the AL West.
It was, to say the least, a disappointing finish for the Angels, a team that had won the last three division titles and five of the last six.
General manager Tony Reagins has come into the offseason determined to rebuild the club and challenge the Texas Rangers for superiority in the AL West. The Angels have been identified as one of the teams with money to spend, and they are expected to be players for most of the big free agents and will pursue other smaller signings as well.
Here's a look at what Reagins and the Angels are trying to accomplish this winter and what they have already done.
1. Go Hard After Carl Crawford
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The biggest name that the Angels have been attached to since the offseason began is to former Tampa Bay Rays' outfielder Carl Crawford.
Crawford is the biggest offensive prize on the free agent market, and the Angels need him as much any team in baseball. Their 2010 left fielder, Juan Rivera, managed only a .721 OPS and is generally not regarded as a strong defensive player.
Crawford, 28, is coming off a fantastic season in which he set career highs in home runs (19) and OPS (.851), numbers that should only go up as Crawford's power continues to emerge. He's just entering his prime and is a Gold Glove winner.
Signing Crawford will be difficult in the aftermath of Jayson Werth's seven-year, $126 million deal with the Washington Nationals, but the Angels remain focused on acquiring the slugger.
Crawford's combination of speed (409 career steals) and defense suits the Angels' style of offense perfectly. Manager Mike Scioscia loves to move runners along and Crawford is one of the best sacrifice hitters in baseball (over 60 career sacrifices). The outfielder would give Scioscia his most dynamic offensive player since Chone Figgins suited up for the Halos.
It will take at least an eight-year, $180 million contract to get Crawford to sign. But considering the other outfielders available and the threat of having the rival Rangers snatching Crawford away, Reagins may have no choice but to pay Crawford whatever he asks.
2. Sign Rafael Soriano to Stabilize Bullpen
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The former Rays closer had the best season of his career in 2010, and possibly the best year by any relief pitcher in baseball.
Soriano saved 45 games while pitching with a 1.73 ERA and 0.802 WHIP. Batters hit only .163 against the 30-year-old righty.
The Angels, meanwhile, struggled with their bullpen. Brian Fuentes began the season as the closer and pitched alright (3.52 ERA, 23 saves), but was traded to the Minnesota Twins in late August. Fernando Rodney took over as the closer and struggled mightily, saving only 14 games and compiling a 4.24 ERA. Besides those two, Scott Shields (5.28 ERA) was terrible in 43 games and newcomers Francisco Rodriguez (4.37 ERA) and Trevor Bell (4.72 ERA) were also inconsistent.
The lone bright spot in the Angels bullpen was the emergence of 25-year-old Kevin Jepsen, who appeared in 68 games and had a 3.97 ERA. But Jepsen can't do it alone and Soriano is without question the best remaining free agent reliever.
Soriano is a Scott Boras client so he could demand up to a three-year, $30 million contract (or four-year, $36 million). Early reports indicated that the Angels could afford to sign both Crawford and Soriano to long-term deals, but with Crawford's value inflated after the Werth contract, the Angels may have to reconsider their options.
If Soriano is too expensive, then they could bring back Fuentes or go after another former closer like J.J. Putz or Kevin Gregg.
3. Who's On Third?
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The Angels couldn't seem to settle on a third baseman last season. Brandon Wood (81 games) was once a hotshot prospect but has struggled in limited playing time in parts of four major league seasons. Maicer Izturis (61 games) is a good player but can't seem to stay on the field.
Kevin Frandsen (54 games) played well but is now a free agent and was never a long-term solution. Alberto Callaspo (58 games) finished the season as the starter, but he has no power to speak of.
If they sign Crawford, then they could live with a stop-gap player like Callaspo at third for a season or two. But another option is to go after former Boston third baseman, Adrian Beltre.
Beltre had a fantastic season in Boston, launching 28 home runs and compiling a .919 OPS while playing outstanding defense. But the Boras client finds him without any suitors.
The Red Sox are no longer interested after acquiring Adrian Gonzalez, and the Oakland Athletics are withdrawing from negotiations after Beltre never responded to their five-year offer.
Beltre did spend seven seasons in Los Angeles with the Dodgers, so a move to Anaheim shouldn't be too much of an adjustment for him. But do the Angels have the resources to sign Crawford, Soriano and Beltre?
A lineup with Crawford, Morales, Beltre, Tori Hunter and Bobby Abreu is a frightening one (not to mention Erick Aybar and Howie Kendrick). If no other teams get into the chase for Beltre, then the Angels may be able to get him for cheap and form one of the most potent offenses in baseball.
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4. Trade Mike Napoli
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Mike Napoli was a solid player for the Angels in 2010 as both a catcher and first basemen. The 28-year-old slugger hit 26 home runs and 24 doubles, with a respectable .784 OPS. He's arbitration eligible this year and will likely receive a pay raise to about $5 million in 2011, but that's still a decent price to pay for a good hitter.
Still, the Angels may not have a need for Napoli anymore. Jeff Mathis is a much better catcher and Kendry Morales (.833 OPS in 51 games) is due to return from injury next season to play first. Napoli would best be suited to be the DH but the Angels could probably find a more complete hitter to fill the spot. The possible emergence of Hank Conger as a serviceable catcher further jeopardizes Napoli's time in Los Angeles.
Napoli is an attractive trade commodity because of his position flexibility and power. The Boston Red Sox expressed interest in acquiring the right-hander earlier in the offseason but have since moved on. The Angels should have no problem finding a trading partner, and could perhaps use Napoli to acquire a bullpen piece.
5. Signed Hisanori Takahashi
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The Angels sole move of the offseason so far has been to sign former Mets reliever, Hisanori Takahashi, to a two-year, $8 million deal.
Takahashi, 35, made his debut with the Mets last season and was strong as both a starter and reliever. He pitched 122 innings, including 12 starts, but was especially effective as a bullpen piece. He saved eight games and finished 13 others, to go along with a 3.61 ERA and an 8.4 SO/9 rate.
The Angels rotation seems full at the moment, but Takahashi should be an effective lefty arm out of the bullpen and is currently the only left-hander under contract. He could also be used as a spot-starter in the event one of the starters goes down.
6. How Much to Spend?
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The Angels' payroll last season was just over $121 million, about in line with what it's been over the past five seasons.
Right now the Angels have about $85 million in committed salaries (including Takahashi). But arbitration cases with Jered Weaver, Joe Saunders, Erick Aybar, Howie Kendrick, Jeff Mathis and Kendry Morales should push that figure up to about $105 million.
Owner Arte Moreno has shown a willingness to increase payroll for next season, so it's reasonable to expect the Angels to have about $30 million in wiggle room. That seems to only be enough to sign Crawford and Soriano, but the Angels could get creative.
The Angels have less than $40 million in committed salaries for 2012, with the contracts of Bobby Abreu ($9 million), Scott Kazmir ($12 million), Joel Pineiro ($8 million), Fernando Rodney ($5.5 million) and Juan Rivera ($5.25 million) expected to come off the books.
What that means is Reagins could structure Crawford's deal, and potentially Beltre's, to be heavily back-loaded and give the Angels the financial flexibility to go after even more players.
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