2012 MLB Free Agents: Angels Must Find Second Bat to Top Rangers

Thursday morning was certainly a good one for the Los Angeles Angels as the team grabbed Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. 

The pitching rotation of Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Ervin Santana, and C.J. Wilson would make them the favorites to at least win the American League should they make the playoffs. 

But there's a trick to that. First, you have to make the playoffs. In the American League, that means that they need to hit. Even with the addition of Pujols, the Angels still have a lineup that doesn't bring a lot of punch. 

There are a few possible solutions to that. 

One is Carlos Beltan. The Angels' outfield is currently Peter Bourjos in center, Vernon Wells in left and Torii Hunter in right. Wells and Hunter have both been good players in their careers, but we're talking about 2012. Those two as corner outfielders are just not going to get it done. 

Now, throw Beltran in that mix. Their outfield depth and the designated hitter would allow Beltran to take some time off to rest when he gets banged up, which tends to happen to him. A heart of the lineup with Beltran, Pujols, and Hunter looks pretty good. 

If acquiring Beltran is too hard then they need to look at third baseman Aramis Ramirez. He hasn't done as much in his career as Beltran but would be a nice form of protection for Pujols.

In addition to that, Ramirez plays third base, which is another place the Angels need to upgrade. With that move, they would be able to DH Kendrys Morales and put Mark Trumbo in one of the corner outfield spots, probably left field.

Pujols is obviously a nice move but Los Angeles still doesn't have the lineup to stack up to the Rangers. 

The Rangers will be fine with Wilson's loss. For one, it's hard to believe that they're not going to make any moves to counter what the Angels did. Even if not, this is a team that lost Cliff Lee from its American League Championship team in 2010 and made the World Series again in 2011. 

Wilson is not that kind of an impact player. 

In a playoff series between the two teams, I would take the Angels. The pitching is far too much for the Rangers to overcome.

But winning in the playoffs is not the same as getting to the playoffs. If the Angels are going to do that, they need another bat to go along with Pujols. If not, Pujols will shatter any walk records that Bonds ever set, but the team won't be enough to make the playoffs.

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