Angels look to continue upgrading as they head to winter meetings – Daily News

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Throughout a winter in which the Angels have been one of the busiest teams in the majors, General Manager Perry Minasian has repeated some version of this sentiment just about every time the team has done anything.

After losing 99 games, the Angels still have plenty of room to improve everything.

So as Minasian and his staff head to MLB’s winter meetings next week in Dallas with a handful of boxes checked, many other areas of the team are still in need of upgrades.

Whether they’ll be able to get to everything remains to be seen.

Angels owner Arte Moreno said in October that he’s directed Minasian to aim for contending in 2025. In the same conversation, he said that payroll would go up, but not to the level it was in 2023.

After the moves the Angels have made so far, their current payroll – for purposes of the luxury tax – is about $207 million, according to FanGraphs. That leaves about $25 million to get to their 2023 spending level, and about $34 million to get to the 2025 luxury tax threshold, which increases each year.

So far the Angels have added starting pitchers Yusei Kikuchi and Kyle Hendricks, slugging DH/outfielder Jorge Soler, backup catcher Travis d’Arnaud, infielder Kevin Newman and depth infielders Ryan Noda and Scott Kingery.

All of that improves them, but if they want to be viewed as legitimate contenders, they probably need to add a frontline starting pitcher, an above-average everyday player and a couple of relievers.

It’s doubtful they can do all that, but Minasian has just over two months to keep trying before spring training begins.

So far there’s no reason to believe they are in the mix for any of the premium free agents. Players like outfielder Juan Soto, right-hander Corbin Burnes and left-hander Max Fried would blow the Angels’ budget. Plus, it’s likely the Angels would have to pay significantly more than the market rate to get that caliber of player to sign with a team that just lost 99 games.

The starting pitcher free agent market drops pretty quickly after Burnes and Fried, so if the Angels truly want to upgrade their rotation, they could turn to the trade market.

The best starting pitcher available via trade is Chicago White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet. He’s still under team control for three more seasons, so a rebuilding team like the Angels might be able to justify getting him, even if their contention window isn’t truly open until 2026.

A deal for Crochet would likely cost the Angels a package of prospects, including right-hander Caden Dana or second baseman Christian Moore.

Considering the Angels already signed Kikuchi and Hendricks, and they actually feel they’ve started to accumulate some solid young rotation depth, it seems more likely that they use the remaining financial and talent resources to upgrade other parts of the roster.

The bullpen is the area most in need of help. So far the Angels haven’t added a single reliever this winter.

Among free agent relievers, the Angels could look for someone like left-hander Andrew Chafin, left-hander Hoby Milner or right-hander Adam Ottavino. They could also pursue a reunion with right-hander Hunter Strickland. All should be affordable. All also have some encouraging numbers to suggest they can still be productive, despite their age and/or poor performance in 2024.

Some intriguing trade candidates include Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander David Bednar, Kansas City Royals right-hander Hunter Harvey and Washington Nationals right-hander Derek Law. Bednar is a former All-Star closer, but he’s coming off a surprisingly poor season and will make more than $6 million next season, so the Pirates might be willing to move him. Harvey and Law both have solid career numbers, and they’re eligible for free agency after next season. The St. Louis Cardinals are also reportedly willing to move right-handed closer Ryan Helsley, but the prospect cost in a deal like that would be steep.

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