Angels Big Splash: $88M Deal Lures Dodgers Playoff Star to…
The Los Angeles Angels have already made a few shrewd moves this offseason, signing Travis D’Arnaud to a two-year deal and trading for slugger Jorge Soler.
They are still a long way away from contention though, especially after losing 99 games during the regular season.
However, that doesn’t mean that more moves won’t follow. In fact, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report predicted that the Halos will ultimately steal Jack Flaherty away from the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
“There haven’t been many solid rumors concerning Flaherty, but ESPN’s Jeff Passan is the one who floated New York and Washington as good fits for him. The player himself, meanwhile, doesn’t want to leave Los Angeles if he can help it,” Rymer wrote.
“If that can be taken to mean the area more broadly, then the Angels fit him just as well as the Dodgers. And between the two, the Halos certainly need him more.”
The 29-year-old right-hander started 28 games between the Dodgers and Detroit Tigers this season, going 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA over 162 innings. He also struck out 194 batters and posted a 3.1 WAR.
The Dodgers acquired him at the trade deadline from the Tigers, and he helped guide them to the World Series, where he pitched a gem in Game 1 of the series and struggled in Game 5.
However, he played a key role in the Dodgers winning another title. But if the Angels want to contend and have somebody to build around, now is the time to spend money, and Flaherty could be their big-ticket addition.
The Halos have to start somewhere if they want to rise from a last-place finish, and this could be a good place for them to start. Signing Flaherty would allow the right-hander to stay in Los Angeles as he desires, though with a new team.
