Los Angeles Angels: Biggest areas of need entering offseason
By Jason Reed
3. A reliable left-handed bat
Will the Los Angeles Angels get Bryce Harper this offseason? Probably not. Harper is going to be asking for a massive contract and the team has Mike Trout to worry about and has not been a rumored target for Harper.
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However, the Angels still need to add a reliable left-handed hitting bat that is primarily stacked with right-handed hitters. Having that power option from the reverse side of the plate is huge, especially when it comes to pitching matchups and how it can force things to happen.
The Angels had the second-worst batting average in the MLB this season when left-handed hitters faced right-handed pitchers (per FanGraphs). Los Angeles was 21st in the league in home runs and 25th in OPS in the same split.
The Angels do not even need to sign an everyday left-handed hitter, either. It could be someone like Matt Adams, who is a free agent and could set up a platoon at first base. The team could knock out two birds with one stone and sign someone such as Daniel Murphy to fill the left-handed and second base void.
Either way, the Angels’ brass needs to find a way to add a quality left-handed hitter to the lineup. With Ohtani out, Kole Calhoun is set to be the team’s best left-handed hitter, which is not a great outlook.
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The Angels are far from perfect but if the team can stay healthy and add all three of these things, making the postseason under a new manager is a likely outcome.