Angels News: Insider Thinks Halos Could Make Playoffs Next Season
The Angels have had an active offseason, and while they haven't signed any of the huge free agents, they've made several moves that have improved them on the margins. Is it enough in a division the Astros have dominated and where the Mariners and Rangers are both making strong pushes?
Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com thinks it might be. He wrote an article about the most-improved teams of the offseason, and he put the Halos in the "From non-playoffs to playoffs?" category along with the Rangers and Cubs.
"None of [their] moves were dramatically splashy, and obviously the Angels have a lot of ground to make up in the AL West. But they already have two of the biggest stars in the sport in Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, so all it will take is the right supporting cast to push this team over the top. Hopefully, the Halos have finally found that."
Castrovince's point is a good one. The Angels haven't been lacking in star power, they've been lacking in the supporting cast. So while it's true that Tyler Anderson, Hunter Renfroe, Gio Urshela, Brandon Drury, and Carlos Estevez aren't "dramatically splashy," they have plenty of dramatic splash in the form of Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout and maybe even Anthony Rendon. What they need is boring wins, and they might have added quite a few of those this offseason.