New York Post Insider Makes Case for Angels to Sign Cody Bellinger
The Los Angeles Angels might be one of the most interesting teams in the 2024 offseason as they recently lost two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani to their cross-market rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and also have approximately $70 million to spend in free agency before reaching the MLB luxury tax.
After losing Ohtani, they were expected to remain very aggressive this offseason but have only given out a handful of small deals to relief pitchers. However, Jon Heyman of The New York Post recently gave his two cents as to why the Angels should sign former 2019 NL MVP and reigning Comeback Player of The Year Cody Bellinger as a reunion between him and the Chicago Cubs is starting to become uncertain.
"How about the Angels? Mike Trout can’t be too thrilled about their playoff chances
following the loss of Shohei Ohtani
, and they obviously have plenty of money to spend. Bellinger could also keep Trout healthy by allowing him to move to a corner spot."
Per Jon Heyman of The New York Post
As Heyman mentioned, the Angels have Mike Trout who is still considered one of the best baseball players of all time and is still someone who keeps the Angels competitive despite losing Ohtani.
Heyman also brings up another good point that Bellinger could find time playing a bit in center field as now the Angels will be able to give Trout more time as the DH. This would help keep him healthy as he has yet to play over 130 games since 2019.
With the potential addition of Bellinger in Anaheim, the Angels would have a perfect one-two combo between him and Trout and would put pitchers in the position to pick their poison on who they will pitch to.
Not only does Bellinger have a great bat, but he also plays Gold Glove-caliber defense and would be the perfect addition to fill the team's need in the outfield.
Right now, the Angels will likely display an outfield that features Trout in centerfield and Taylor Ward in left field with both Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell available to come off the bench.
Adding Bellinger into this mix would give the Angels an elite outfield that is loaded with talent all across the board and make them one of the best in baseball.