Los Angeles Angels: Biggest areas of need entering offseason
By Jason Reed
1. A wipeout arm out of the bullpen
The Los Angeles Angels bullpen was not terrible this season with all things considered but definitely can be improved upon with some offseason additions. The biggest thing the Angels should be looking for, and really what every contending team wants to look for, it a wipeout arm out of the bullpen that can come in at high leverage spots and shut it down.
Someone like Andrew Miller is perfect for this role as he has shown with the Cleveland Indians. Zach Britton is also a free agent and is the same southpaw build as Miller. There are right-handed pitching options on the market as well.
This is the year of the reliever with a ton of guys hitting the open market. This is the perfect offseason to pursue free agent relievers and the Angels cannot afford to leave the offseason empty handed.
The Angels really do not have that wipeout arm out of the bullpen. Jose Alvarez was the team’s best option and he was just fine but he should not be a team’s best reliever.
Los Angeles finished with a 3.92 bullpen ERA, the 13th-best in the MLB and the seventh-best in the American League. To take that next step, the Angels need to be better than slightly above average.