*Photo from UPI*
Up next in the offseason report series, it's the Dodgers crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Angels
2019 recap: It was another lost season for Mike Trout, as the Angels once again fell horribly short of the playoffs, finishing a dismal 72-90 due to a terrible lack of pitching talent
What you need to know
The Angels were looking to add some top tier free agents to pair with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani in the hopes of finally getting Trout to the playoffs for the first time in his career. The offseason started with lots of minor league deals, and they picked up some more fringe pitching depth in Dylan Bundy by trade, who isn't a top starter, which is what they need desperately. After trading incumbent 3B Zack Cozart, the Angels splurged on a top free agent, but it wasn't a pitcher. It was 3B Anthony Rendon, a good get to solidify the middle of the order. They learned nothing from the Bundy trade and then signed a declining Julio Teheran for the rotation as well. That was all they did
Moves I like
Rendon is just about the only thing they did this offseason that was worthwhile. He'll make that middle of the lineup scary next to Trout and Ohtani. The hitting has always been good, and Rendon will make it better
Moves I don't like
Bundy and Teheran. Bundy couldn't stop giving up homers in Baltimore, and Teheran is in the midst of quite a decline. The biggest problem for the Angels in the last decade was lack of impact pitching, and they didn't do anything to fix it. They've tried this reclamation project stuff before, and it hasn't worked out even once, so it baffles me as to why they are doing it again.
2020 outlook
This is going to be another lost season for Trout and company because the Angels don't have good pitchers. Ohtani can pitch, but he can only pitch once a week because he's a two way player and they have to keep him healthy. Unless every single thing under the sun goes right for the Angels, it will be another season to forget in Anaheim.
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