Angels Rumors: Writer Thinks LA Could Make Huge Splash in Free Agency

This feels like a move that owner Arte Moreno would easily make.

Lost in all of the upcoming Shohei Ohtani free agency talks is the fact that the Angels could still make some big moves this winter. Ohtani may decide to leave the team, but owner Arte Moreno doesn’t seem like the kind of person to enter a rebuild.

They would still have some quality players on the roster, and he knows better than anyone that fans won’t show up if the team doesn’t look like they will have a chance. Of course, losing Ohtani would sting, but the Halos could have some tricks up their sleeve.

MLB insider Mark Feinsand of MLB.com put together a ranking of free agents for the winter and listed some suitors for the players. He listed the Angels as a suitor for one of the better pitchers that will be on the open market.

Josh Hader of the San Diego Padres is scheduled to be a free agent this winter and Feinsand believes that the Angels make sense for his services.

“There are other proven closers on the market this winter, including David Robertson and Craig Kimbrel, but those two former All-Stars are on the wrong side of 35 and won’t be viewed as long-term options for a club seeking to stabilize the ninth inning. Hader, on the other hand, turns 30 in April and is arguably the best reliever in the game right now.”

Per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com

If the Angels were to land Hader, they would be getting a shutdown type of player for their bullpen. It’s something that the team has lacked over recent seasons, so it would make sense for the club to target him.

On the year, Hader has been almost unhittable. He holds an ERA of 1.16 and a WHIP of 1.03. Hader won’t come cheap, however, but the Angels have been known to make splashy moves in the past.

Even if the team were to lose Ohtnai, this feels like a move that Moreno would sign off on. Hader likely won’t be back with San Diego next season, but he could easily make his up the freeway in Southern California to join the Angels.