Evaluating the Angels Areas of Need & Some Potential Fits

A few areas of need stand out, and options remain to fill those needs.

Jan 05, 2024

As the new year kicks off, the Angels still have lots of work ahead to try and compete under new manager Ron Washington in 2024.

Thanks to FanGraphs’ Depth Charts projections, based on projected playing time and Steamer projections, we can examine where the Angels roster currently stands and what their areas of need are.

In the graph below, the projected WAR totals by position are charted for each team. A color scale is included, ranging from dark red (best) to dark blue (worst).

Broken down by position, the Angels’ WAR totals and team ranks are as follows.

C: 2.0 (23rd)

1B: 1.8 (T-16th)

2B: 2.5 (20th)

3B: 3.0 (10th)

SS: 2.8 (T-17th)

LF: 2.4 (9th)

CF: 3.8 (5th)

RF: 0.3 (30th)

DH: 1.0 (T-23th)

SP: 10.4 (22th)

RP: 1.9 (27th)

From this, we can gather that the Angels are:

Above average at LF & CF.
Middle of the pack at 1B, 2B, 3B, SS.
Below average at C, RF, DH, SP, and RP.

With Logan O’Hoppe and Matt Thaiss at catcher, plus Francisco Mejía and Chad Wallach on minor-league deals as depth, we can rule out catcher as a need. That leaves RF, DH, SP, and RP as areas the Angels need to address.

We’ll save a more thorough analysis of free-agent options for another day, but names that would serve as upgrades available in free agency include:

RF: Cody Bellinger, Adam Duvall, Teoscar Hernández, & Tommy Pham
DH: Rhys Hoskins, JD Martinez, Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, & Justin Turner
SP: Shota Imanaga, Sean Manaea, Jordan Montgomery, James Paxton, Blake Snell, & Marcus Stroman.
RP: Scott Alexander, Ryan Brasier, John Brebbia, Jake Diekman, Josh Hader, Jordan Hicks, Phil Maton, Matt Moore, Hector Nerís, Wandy Peralta, David Robertson, Robert Stephenson, & Brent Suter.

With $60M before matching 2023’s payroll and $70M before the first luxury tax threshold, the Angels have no excuse not to address these needs as we close in on a month before pitchers and catchers report.