Speed Demon: Angels Race Through Offseason, Redesign…
The Los Angeles Angels made the biggest free agent splash of the offseason Monday morning, reeling in veteran starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi.
Of course, Kikuchi is far from the highest-profile star on the open market, with his reputation paling in comparison to those of Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes and Alex Bregman. But the left-hander is the top player to come off the board three weeks into free agency, and he cashed in with a three-year, $63 million contract.
On top of that, Kikuchi’s arrival in Anaheim marks just the latest major move that general manager Perry Minasian has made this winter, all while other clubs are still getting their ducks in a row.
The Angels kicked things off by acquiring outfielder Jorge Soler in a trade with the Atlanta Braves the day after the World Series came to a close. They traded for former Philadelphia Phillies top prospect Scott Kingery the very next day.
The following week, Los Angeles signed longtime Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks to a one-year, $2.5 million deal. One week after that, the Angels added catcher Travis d’Arnaud on a two-year, $12 million contract, as well as veteran infielder Kevin Newman on a one-year, $2.75 million deal with a club option. They even avoided arbitration with Kingery shortly after trading for him.
Hardly any of those transactions could be qualified as headline-making, blockbuster moves, but it is still far more activity than anyone else in the league has logged.
Four of the five largest contracts given to free agents this month have been handed out by the Angels, excluding players who returned to their previous team. That doesn’t even account for Soler, a former All-Star who is due $32 million over the next two seasons.
All in, the Angels have already added roughly $49 million to their payroll for the 2025 season.
Thanks to all of those outside additions, the Angels have already reshaped their roster in some pretty major ways. That was a must for Los Angeles, coming off a last-place finish in the AL West at 63-99.
Center fielder Mike Trout, second baseman Luis Rengifo and third baseman Anthony Rendon are all slated to return from injury. And while shortstop Zach Neto could miss the start of the season as he recovers from recent shoulder surgery, he now has experienced replacements in Newman and Kingery.
There is still room for improvement in the lineup, but most of the holes have been plugged for the time being. The young core of Neto, catcher Logan O’Hoppe, first baseman Nolan Schanuel and right fielder Jo Adell now has veteran reinforcements entering the fold, alongside returning staples like Trout, Rendon, Rengifo and left fielder Taylor Ward.
The Angels’ rotation has also come into focus, even with the front office electing to non-tender veteran Patrick Sandoval last week. Kikuchi and Hendricks are set to join José Soriano and Tyler Anderson, both of whom had respectable sub-4.00 ERAs this past season.
The fifth and final spot could go to 25-year-old left-hander Reid Detmers, who took several steps back after promising 2022 and 2023 seasons. Jack Kochanowicz, Sam Aldegheri and Caden Dana could compete for it as well, having enjoyed varying levels of success upon making their MLB debuts in 2024.
Questions remain in the bullpen, and the roster as currently constructed isn’t likely to be favored to win the division. Regardless, the Angels have checked off most of the boxes on their to-do list, and the Winter Meetings are still two weeks out.
Considering they lost Shohei Ohtani to the Los Angeles Dodgers around this time last year, the franchise could be in a far worse position moving forward.
