The Los Angeles Angels have consistently been at the bottom of the AL West in recent seasons, even when the team possessed the duo of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani’s area code isn’t much different now that he sports Dodger Blue, but some Halo moves are raising eyebrows — in a good way.
With how the AL West division looks in the future now that the new schedule has been implemented and there’s less in-division exposure, the Angels are sending a clear message.
The Angels’ general manager, Perry Minasian, signed a two-year extension in August. Soon after, he vowed things would improve for the team, starting with its young core.
Logan O’Hoppe, Jose Soriano, Jack Kochanowicz, and Nolan Schanuel, to name a few, are some of the intriguing players the organization gets to build around. They haven’t wasted any time as free agency continues.
The most recent report has the team agreeing to a three-year, $63 million deal with left-handed starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman was first with the news on Monday.
Angels are back in the ballgame. That’s about $100M spent (Soler, d’Arnaud, Hendricks, Newman too) for early MLB spending lead. https://t.co/Tno7qwTUlu
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 25, 2024
Following a midseason trade to the Houston Astros from the Toronto Blue Jays in July, the 2021 All-Star select put up some impressive numbers. He boasted a 2.70 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched.
In some foreshadowing earlier this month, Minasian mentioned pitching as a priority. Each offseason, teams want to improve their starting pitching. Minasian is feeling good about what the Angels have, but said, ““Over the course of a season, everybody knows that you need a lot of arms, right?”
Don’t think the Kikuchi signing means they’re done.
The Angels acquired outfielder Jorge Soler from the Atlanta Braves in October for pitcher Griffin Canning. It was the second time Soler had been traded in three months. Minasian looks at the two-time World Series champion as a potential game-changer with one swing of the bat. Sole was an All-Star in 2023, when he slashed .250/.341/.512 with 36 home runs.
Minasian then called it the first move of many…
Infielder Scott Kingery came to the Angels from the Philadelphia Phillies on Nov. 1 in a deal for cash considerations. The former top prospect put up mundane numbers as a rookie in 2018, but he looks to provide some utility with his ability to play multiple positions.
Veteran pitcher Kyle Hendricks signed with the Angels earlier in November on a one-year, $2.5 million deal. The front office saw some things in the 34-year-old’s delivery that were different from when he was successful with the Chicago Cubs. In 2016, his 2.13 ERA earned him the ERA title and he finished third in NL CY Young Award voting. He should help the Angels’ pitching staff considerably, both with his pitching and his veteran presence.
Shortly after the signing, the Angels signed catcher Travis d’Arnaud to a two-year, $12 million deal. He’ll serve as a backup to O’Hoppe.
“Travis just really stuck out for us — someone that can not only play at a high level, but the makeup is off the charts,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian told the media after the signing, via ESPN. “He’s a winner. He’s played on a ton of winning teams. He knows what winning teams do. He’s got the ability to affect the locker room in as positive of a way as anybody I’ve ever been around. He’s great with young pitching. He’s great with coaching staffs. He’s great with managers. He’s just an awesome guy. Hometown guy who lives 25 minutes away and really wanted to be here.”
With that said, depth is something Minasian values. He mentioned the farm system and player development numerous times, and as we all know, injuries are inevitable.
