The Angels have done some “advance work” on shortstop Didi Gregorius, George A. King III of the New York Post writes. Gregorius won’t officially hit free agency until five days after the completion of the World Series, of course, but it’s safe to assume the Halos and every other team in baseball are already preparing offseason shopping lists.
In the Angels’ case, shortstop will be a clear need since Andrelton Simmons is also headed for free agency. While Simmons suffered through an injury-shortened season, Gregorius played in all 60 of the Phillies’ games and hit .284/.339/.488 with 10 home runs over 237 plate appearances. It was a nice bounce-back season for Gregorius, who missed over two months of the 2019 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
The left-handed hitting Gregorius would add some balance to a predominantly right-handed Angels lineup, and represents a hitting upgrade over Simmons, though not a big upgrade. Since the start of the 2017 season, Gregorius has hit .270/.318/.477 with 78 homers over 1720 PA to Simmons’ 32 home runs and .281/.329/.401 slash line over 1798 PA. On the flip side, Los Angeles would making a trade-off on defense — while Gregorius has wielded a generally solid glove over his career, he obviously isn’t in the league of Simmons, who is one of the more celebrated defensive shortstops of all time.
Despite his down year in 2019, Gregorius was still offered multi-year contracts last winter before opting to sign a one-year, $14MM deal with Philadelphia. He should be in line for a multi-year deal this offseason, albeit with the uncertainty of the sport’s tighter financial picture hanging over the free market. Gregorius’ free agent stock could also be impacted by qualifying offer compensation, should the Phillies choose to issue him a QO and if Gregorius turned down the one-year, $18.9MM offer.
The Angels would certainly find Gregorius more attractive if they didn’t have to give up a draft pick to sign him, though Gregorius isn’t the only shortstop available. Marcus Semien is also a free agent, and some intriguing options (Francisco Lindor, anyone?) exist on the trade market. Plus, Los Angeles could opt to just use David Fletcher at shortstop and instead turn its attention to second base additions.
He did get a curtain call there as a visitor a couple of years ago.
No GM but Arte already knows who he wants.
Fletcher is good, go get pitching!!
Fletcher at ss and get Tom Lastella back.
Cheaper. Spend the bucks on pitching.
They should sign Lemaiheu (who apparently is only going to get $20m/yr). That leaves another $15-20m/yr we could reasonably spend on pitching. Lot of solid starting pitching on the market that will be in that $8-15m/yr range. Sign Jason Castro for 2m. Sign Colome for 6m/yr. Trade for another reliever or two. Boom. Team would be big time.
There are not a lot of good starting pitchers who get $6 million in free agency.
Colome is a reliever. I said there’s good starters in the $8-15m/yr range. We don’t need an ace, just someone who will give us a sub 4 era or worst case low-mid 4’s.
Looking back at Colome’s 5 season run, I’d say the Angels would have to pay more than 6 million
I agree completely! With Upton and Pujols still on our payroll we can’t afford Bauer nor is he worth that kind of money! Philly still didn’t make the playoffs with Didi and Cole with the Yankees didn’t get them past Tampa Bay so spending 35 million on anyone not named Trout doesn’t make sense! Spend the 40 million we have available on a couple proven starters and 2 more relievers and sign LaStella and we should be no worse than second in our division! Walsh is gonna be a game changer at first base! He was solid at AAA the past 2 seasons.
Remember Huston is loosing Springer and Reddick and Grienke is not the same and Verlander is out! Oakland is loosing Semium and La Stella and Davis has regressed big time and who knows when Chapman will be back? We may even be good enough to win the division if Bundy performs the same and the other starters duplicate this past seasons numbers!
Yeah he Moreno needs to sell. I’m still mad about the la la land angels of anaheim.
You sound like a crybaby Poor papa chon
Classic Angels. Totally ignoring the fact that their pitching sucks. (Except for Bundy)
Cmon, we all already know the Angels are going to be in on Bauer and Lynn and Paxton but end up coming out of the offseason with Aaron Sanchez and Tyler Chatwood.
Ikr
Don’t forget Marcus Stroman…
What? Heaney and Canning were good too.
It doesn’t matter what the starters did, people wont look so they say they stunk.
Their bullpen stunk. T
Halo11- Yep. Need to shore up middle relief.
Totally. 14 blown saves in a 60 game season! They need several top RPs.
People don’t realize however 2-3 of their best arms were literally their worst arms this year. Bounce back years should be expected for Robles, Buttrey and Middleton. One lockdown arm and another good one would go a long way.
They need a little of everything. Should sign one of the many established #2-4 guys on the market, a MIF *or* catcher, and a couple relievers, and they could be legit next year. Barria’s already a dark horse for the rotation, and I have faith in Ohtani.
It doesn’t matter what the starters did, people wont look so they say they stunk.
———————————————————–
I looked; they stunk.
Really? You didn’t look very hard.
Heaney 4.46. He was 4.02 before the Dodgers killed him the last day of the year.
Baria 3.62
Bundy 3.29
Canning 3.99
Did the A’s stink?
Their second best pitcher was Lazardo. ERA 4.12
Rip joe brady!
Classic angels critic and/or fan, thinking they need to spend every dollar they have on pitching despite glaring issues elsewhere, complaining whenever they pursue a position player to fill those issues. Offseason hasn’t even started yet and already claiming they’re “totally ignoring” pitching needs. The angels rotation is literally a Tanaka or Morton away from being solidly above average.
Barria should have been in the rotation from day 1 and he was a boost in september. and was part of the reason they played good baseball in september. Even if Ohtani coming back doesn’t pan out, adding one established starter gives them an above average rotation, which gives them a shot at the playoffs if their offense doesn’t slip to average or worse. If Ohtani can pitch well that would make their rotation even better.
Their offense was hardly above average last year, and that was with Max Stassi having an .886 ops, they’re losing Simmons, and Ward and/or Walsh could regress. If all they sign is pitching this offseason they will be .500 or worse again.
A lot wrong with your post but my time is limited for another couple hours so all I will say for the moment is that the Angels were 9th in all of baseball in runs scored. Maybe not setting the world on fire but that’s pretty good.
And 25th out of 30 teams in team ERA. That looks to be a bit more than 1 starter away from being above average.
Their rotation was fine. If you look at their team page on BR, you’ll see that the high ERA’s mostly came from the pitchers they used in the extra roster spots at the bottom of the depth chart. One big mistake I think Joe Maddon made was tapping into that 30th man out of the bullpen too much early in the season in key situations. He thought he was saving his top arms for more important games but ended up blowing a lot of winnable games early. In a a normal 162 game season, with a normal roster count, he would’ve been using his top arms more in those situations. So I attribute most of the Angels’ pitching struggles to bullpen mismanagement early on.
Again, that’s with a catcher who won’t hit within .150 points of his OPS this season, we’re losing our .300 hitting SS, and guys like Ward and Walsh will likely regress. Not sure what you disagree with. That is an offense shaping up to be average next season without improvements. It’s not like they have some booming offense and just a weak pitching staff. They need to improve both. And with Barria in the rotation, as he should have been since 2019, they’re one established starter away from having an above average rotation.
Before you say Barria was terrible in 2019, look at his game log. He had the best season of any angels starter the last half decade or longer in 2018 as a 21 yo, and had a mid-4 era spring training 2019, and they start him in AAA. Called up and sent down like 5 or 6 times all season even after pitching well, completely jerked around, really only had 3 terrible starts, and one start they left him in to take the beating to the tune of 10 ER. They finally had a young stud on their hands and leave it to the angels to do their best to derail his career so the likes of Matt Harvey, Chris Stratton, and Jose Suarez could have rotation spots. Fortunately he’s a gamer and took it all in stride.
Try looking a little closer at the actual team rather than one metric measuring the whole pitching staff and not even the rotation…
I’d have to think the Phillies wouldn’t lose out on both Didi and Realmuto. But who knows?
Interest doesn’t mean priority.
Pitching is on its way this offseason. One of Trevor Bauer or Marcus Stroman, and another young, cost controlled arm via trade.
Bauer wants to go to a good team.
Wouldn’t Bauer make the team better? “Blah blah good team barf” is always people’s reaction for some reason. Isn’t the point of an off-season to either build a contender or go into rebuild mode? Do you really think that a new and improved pitching staff backed by an Angels offense featuring Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon wouldn’t make for a contender?
I would think if you’re focus is going to a contender, you’d at least want to go somewhere that has proven the ability to field a contender in the last decade or two.
Bauer would cripple the angels. We need more than an ace. In fact, we could live without one. Unless they can offload some of their contracts like Upton, they only have maybe ~$40m tops to sign this offseason. Bauer would take up almost all of that, and be nearly twice as much per year as he would have gotten 12 starts ago. He’s way overvalued rn, especially on 1-2 year deals.
Zack Wheeler went to an unproven Phillies team. Some players go where there’s a better chance of a World Series, others go where they can strengthen a core that is building towards having a chance at a World Series. If Mike Trout signs with a team on the fringes, he and his 8-10 WAR in a full healthy season alone boosts that team into serious contention. The point is to buy wins.
The Angels easily make the playoffs last year with Bauer in the rotation.
Yeah, but when 16 teams made it. They need more than Bauer.
Bauer easily losses his arm in a woodchipper accident if he were with the Angels.
Just sayin’
Even if Bauer would have been able to be just as effective facing the West divisions as he was facing the Central divisions which is unlikely, asking him to make up 3 games to the them with Houston is a tall task in 11 starts. Plus, that’s when 16 teams make it so you can’t bank on a sub .500 record getting you in going forward
He wants to get PAID
What cost controlled arm. And who will you trade for him. Young cost controlled arms tend to be very expensive.
They. Need. Pitching. Why. Is. This. So. Hard.
They need much more than just pitching. What is so hard to understand about that. You think if they signed a bunch of pitchers this offseason they would be in the playoffs with an average offense? They literally need one established starter and some bullpen help. Robles, Buttrey and Middleton will already likely rebound. Really hurts your bullpen when your 3 best arms become your 3 worst arms.
Offense was barely above average last season, and that was with an .886 ops Max Stassi, Simmons who they’re losing, Ward likely to regress, and possibly Walsh as well.
I’d be shocked if Robles wasn’t non tendered. And I wouldn’t be shocked if they also non tendered Middleton. They both will have not insignificant salaries next year and both had terrible years. I think there will be a ton of guys like Robles and Middleton non tendered this year throughout baseball. So, if you expect them to rebound, I wouldn’t expect that to happen with the angels.
the offense was fine, the season was just too short. pitching, pitching, pitching,
I didn’t know Didi could pitch.
Well it’s obvious we need pitching. But it’s not an exclusive need.
Who’s the second baseman currently? Rengifo? Barretto?
They are almost automatic outs. Over the game, that’s essentially a lost inning.
If our starters could go an extra inning, we would have been excellent this year
Angels should keep Simmons or go with Fletcher. On to pitching pitching and more pitching.
“Should keep Simmons”
Angels would appreciate him back. But, Simmons left in the final week of the season, doubtful he wants to comeback.
Maybe Next Year. I still don’t understand that. Why did he just pack up and go? It wasn’t because of Covid.
Pure speculation…. maybe he broke protocol and that’s how the Angels addressed it.
He may have broke protocol. But, I’m not putting my money on that as the reason. I think Simba knew he was a trade chip just like how we was when he was traded from ATL to LAA.
He wants to go to a team that is ready to win it all. LAA still has two years left till they are considered potential contenders in anything besides first 15 teams to pick a prospect.
Didi was really good for the Yanks.
Stepping into Jeter’s shoes had to have been so hard.
He’s a good player. Been trending down some defensively?
Still plays a pretty good SS, though. & he was pretty clutch with the Yankees. Fun player, man.
Interesting debate in regards to Didi or Simba. I prefer the LH bat with power. As far as the “but the Angels need pitching” stuff they also need a middle infielder. Like all baseball fans I wanna see Trout in the postseason. Hope the Angels make the right moves this winter.
this is so dumb. why would the team looking to sign the player whose hitting numbers are inflated by the ball parks he played in?
Ops+ Is park adjusted, still above average
barely!
Didi would be a nice fit on the Angels but they need pitching to win.
they need both..
The two teams left standing are the most well rounded in their respective leagues.. they have pitching.. defense and hitting.. not surprising…
She
N will the Angels realize they need pitching not hitting they should take what ever money they plan on using this offseason and put it all on pitching NO position players
That’s a recipe for being under .500 next year. You can’t be over .500 with an average or worse offense. Their offense was barely above average this year and they’re losing pieces and at least 1-2 players will likely regress if not dramatically. Why is it so hard for people to recognize the angels need more than just pitching, and really could solve all their pitching needs this offseason by adding no more than $20-$25m/yr?
4th in runs and were top 5 nearly across the board in the AL, with a 108 team OPS+. They lost LaStella and are about to lose Simmons. Teams need to be as solid as possible on both sides of the game.
Can’t if you’re agreeing or disagreeing with me.
Phillies about to lose all their players lol
The Angels need a starter, two reliable bullpen arms, including a closer and a shortstop.
Halo11- would you take a flier on Semien? Maybe a 1 year deal. See if 2020 is a fluke. I really hope Simmons comes back.
I think they should pursue cheaper options. Simply need to replace Simmons, maybe sign Jason Castro to platoon with Max since this year was definitely a fluke for him and he’s having a second hip surgery this offseason. Then put the rest into pitching.
Lemaiheu could be an option however. Apparently he’s only expected to get around $20m/yr, which seems like a shock. Would rather do that than spend similarly on Semien. A big bat like that would take us to the top of the league offensively, and we’d still probably have enough to get a good established #2-4 starter and some bullpen help.
Semien is not a flier, he’ll be more expensive than Simmons.
Simmons will be less expensive than Semien and Didi. That’s where I’d look.
The angels frustrate me so much. Every year everyone is like “oh the angels are gonna surprise people this year” “this is the year mike trout makes the playoffs again” yet they finish 4th or 3rd and are not even competitive. Teams would do so much more if they had the best player in the game and that kind of money to spend, let alone play in LA. Baseball needs trout to play in October
Did 100% gets a QO. You want to play, you gotta pay Artie…
We need to close the hole in the infield to focus on pitching. Eliminate the distraction.
Far better and less expensive option and therefore saving more money for pitching would be signing La Stella or someone similar for 2B and moving Fletcher to short. La Stella is just as good offensively as Gregorious, Fletcher is better at SS, and it would all be done for half the price.
Couldn’t agree more. Huge LaStella fan.
I still wonder about the LaStella trade. Why not extend him? He was always a walk machine, but then he suddenly turned into a near .300 hitter with 20+ HR power as a utility infielder with the Angels. He would be better future option than Gregorius, although that would still be a good addition. But I’d rather have seen LaStella remain an Angel.
Angels need to upgrade the rotation and some pieces positionally. Arm chair gm to the rescue! They can add bauer or stroman via free agency. Then trade adell for cost controlled arm like carrasco, plesac, Galen. Sign Didi or resign simmons or trade for lindor in a bigger deal including arm above. Scour the market for bullpen pieces.
Rotation
Bauer/stroman
Bundy
Carrasco/plesac/Gallen
Heaney
Canning
Ohtani (if healthy)
Lineup
Lindor/didi/simmons
Trout
Fletcher
Rendon
Upton
Ohtani (dh)
Pujols corpse
Stassi
Marsh
Boom!
Err, did you forget about Jared Walsh? Pujols playing time will be very limited next year. Maybe platooning, which could actually be good for him.
Bauer would be a huge addition, but he’s going to come at a premium price given his 2020 performance. If he signs elsewhere, is Gausman a reasonable fallback?
As for middle infield, my vote is Fletch to SS and LaStella, Cesar Hernandez or Kike Hernandez for 2B.
I’d slow play this. Simba, Didi, Hernandez, Schoop, all fill the need for a middle infielder, all should be similar in WAR. More players than landing spots, one should be a value sign.
The Angels should not go into the season with Fletcher as plan “A” at shortstop. That would be a monumental mistake.
The Angels should not go into the season hoping a couple of their RPs will step up and do the job, they need to get a sure fire closer and a dependable bullpen arm.
The Angels should not go into the season with their current pitching staff, they should target a starter.
If the Angels do in fact push for Didi, they must be sure they have enough left over for an impact starter, and at least one quality reliever.
A ton of cash is already tied up in Trout, Rendon, and Pujols; arb. raises most notably, for Heaney, Bundy, and Ohtani will add quite a bit to that.
It’s a pivotal offseason for the Halos.
Dakota.
And I think there is an opening. There are no Dodgers or Yankees or Rays in this division.
I’m not trying to disrespect anyone, but this team doesn’t have to be great, it just has to be good.
Halo11Fan, I agree wholeheartedly. Get Gregorious and a starter like Taijuan Walker, then stay in the mix through the all-star break and make whatever modifications will be needed for the stretch run. Neither of these guys will come cheap, but I believe they will greatly enhance the Angels chances in that so-so division. And let’s not forget that some form of expanded playoffs will stick around. If it’s seven teams per league, that’s something that Angels can easily achieve with a smart winter.
Back to Gregorious: I am a Dodgers fan living in the Philly area. I have seen Didi plenty over the years. He’s one of those players who tends to provide more than expected. A total pro, a glue guy, and a winner. Even if all-time great fielder Simmons was healthy, I would rather have Didi without even considering who might have the better WAR.
Walsh, Fletcher, Gregorious, and Rendon would be a fantastic infield. Best wishes to you and the Angels for a fantastic off-season and a World Series run for Trout. Looking across the American League, it is all there for the Angels’ taking. Just be smart with the roster moves. Josh Byrnes would be a great GM hire if it happens. Nay to Dombrowski.
Halo11Fan/Cey Hey — it is accurate in saying there is an opening in that division. As an A’s fan we’re good, but we do have holes. The Rangers, M’s, and even Astros are difficult to assess moving forward too.
The more I think about Didi with the Angels, the more I like it. His LH bat would also help balance out the lineup.
Dakota Bramer, who the new GM is will speak volumes about the franchise’s future. Who do you prefer and what strategy do you want to see? Just one more year of Pujols and two of Upton. Gotta be smart with the freed-up cash.
Oh, I completely forgot about Upton — another big contract on the books.
That’s why should add a multi-position guy like Kiké Hernandez. To give them a bit more depth while waiting for Pujols’ and Upton’s contracts to disappear. It’s also why I think they should keep both Adell and Marsh, who are young, talented, and don’t drain much from the payroll. I am surprised some fans want to give up on Adell so quickly. These same people thought he would be an instant star entering the season. And now they want to dump him and place the same expectations on Marsh. Keep both guys. If they are as talented as baseball people think, they will come around sooner than later. This was a screwed-up season. Don’t place too much stock in a player’s stats, especially a rookie.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, on the “World Series run for Trout” @cey hey. I’m good with him getting into the playoffs.
But that’s as far as I’m willing to go.
😉
Otherwise, I agree with you completely.
Didi became one of my favorite players, man.
He’s had some tough things to overcome; replacing Captain Giftbasket, playing in the playoffs with a torn UCL, having a sub par platform year…now after proving it he’s headed to a depressed free agent market. Really hope he gets a nice deal from someone & a chance to win.
There are a lot of teams he’d improve.
Ducky, they need to be building toward a window for that run. Have a smart winter, then enjoy the pending salary relief with Pujols and Upton coming off the books in the next two years. Focus on pitching and up-the-middle defense. If not Didi, then how about leaving Fletcher at SS and signing Kiké Hernandez for 2B? Although he doesn’t have a robust bat, Kiké hits some home runs, has enjoyed some big October moments and would provide elite defense. He is six months younger than Didi and would be cheaper, which would leave the Angels with more money to address pitching. I will miss Kiké on the Dodgers but they have internal options for replacing him. Worth a shot as he is already in the neighborhood.
Nooooo on Didi, Sign Yadi to call games, sign Bauer and Strowman, bring back G Rich on a 1 year inventive laden contract and trade for Lindor using Adell and give Marsh a shot in right or sign Puig on a minor league deal…..
Bring back G Rich and put him in the bullpen.
That would put them way over the luxury threshold. Already $116 million committed to Trout, Rendo, Pujols, and Upton. Lindor is a pipedream, Puig brings nothing of real value to the table. I would rather have Adell than Yasiel. I’d also pass on Bauer and Stroman. You’d be paying Bauer for having his career year for someone else. Stroman just doesn’t impress me. Look at his year-by-year. You willing to risk all that money for one of his horrible years? Molina is a good idea along with Kiké Hernandez. Solid defense and veteran presence at a decent price.
After three seasons i think we have to accept the Ohtani experiment is over. Let him hit, let him play the field, but the pitching is never going to work out.
I’ve said since the day Simmons quit on the Angels they would be in on Gregorious, so no surprise here. We all know Arte loves to throw big money at bats on the wrong side of 30 so this is right with the Angels norm.
I know people want to write off Upton, and it took him a long time to get going, but once he got going he was great.
The last month of the season, 303/398/605. Those are not good numbers, those are great numbers.
I don’ t think his career is over.
They have no choice but to give Upton a shot as they are paying him for two more years. I wonder how he plans on spending the winter? It’s possible he comes back completely rejuvenated. Guys have done it before. Matt Kemp was an all-star starter in 2018. He worked his tail off to get ready.
Rsox.
The Ohtani experiment is Over? Huh? Because he didn’t hit the floor running after TJ?
You people are amazing.
Overreaction for a 60-game season.
It’s not just 60 games, it was two starts after TJ surgery. No minor league starts, no spring training starts, just two starts.
His hitting over 173 PAs was horrible. Prior to that, his hitting over 792 PAs was great.
People are flat out nuts.
Whats more nuts is that the Angels sent him out there after said “nothingness” was given to him beforehand-
Id be pisssed if I was a fan and not confident in this managment staff
Ohtani’s arm is never going to hold up over a whole sesson to be a starter. He could be a 30 HR a year hitter if they let him
Angels need to draft starters in the first round. Have yet to hear anything about Dietmers since he was drafted.
Didi would work. Rendon, Didi, Fletch, and Walsh would be a strong infield.
Maybe the bagels should actually invest in pitching instead of continue to get bats
Can win if you can’t pitch
Angels ***
That’s what you get for posting on an empty stomach.
Please no more Cam Bedrosian and Noe Ramirez
I swear didi gets a 5 yr 100 mil deal then gets injured and falls out
Again ;the A’s and Astros will be much weaker next season so this is the Angels chance to impact the division! You can’t play Pujols just so he can accumulate statistics for his HOF retirement as a Cardinal! Walsh is your first baseman and Pujlos the dh when Ohtani is pitching! Pujols is a pinch hitter and occasional starter at best next season!
If Upton can have an average year stat wise and Marsh or Ward do a descent job in RF this team can play with anyone! Adell needs a full year at AAA to build his confidence back! Marsh is a little older and my be ready to hit major league pitching as the backup outfielder. Resign La Stella, 2 more mid grade starters and a couple new relievers and this should at least lock up second place in our division!
Again ;the A’s and Astros will be much weaker next season so this is the Angels chance to impact the division! You can’t play Pujols just so he can accumulate statistics for his HOF retirement as a Cardinal! Walsh is your first baseman and Pujlos the dh when Ohtani is pitching! Pujols is a pinch hitter and occasional starter at best next season!
If Upton can have an average year stat wise and Marsh or Ward do a descent job in RF this team can play with anyone! Adell needs a full year at AAA to build his confidence back! Marsh is a little older and my be ready to hit major league pitching as the backup outfielder.