Los Angeles Angels: Four offseason steps to return to playoffs in 2019
By Jason Reed
1. Sign Patrick Corbin
One of the biggest needs for the Los Angeles Angels this offseason is simple: reliable starting pitching. Angels general manager Billy Eppler pinned reliable starting pitching as one of the things he is going to look for this offseason (h/t The Orange County Register).
The Angels’ rotation has always had a promise. Eppler brought in young arms such as Andrew Heaney and Tyler Skaggs, both of which have big ceilings, to complement Garrett Richards. Add Shohei Ohtani to the mix and at full strength, that is a great first four.
However, all four of those arms have battled various injuries ranging in severity. With Richards being a free agent this year, and only pitching 76 and one-third innings last season, the Angels’ outlook in the starting rotation is bleak.
Luckily, there is a deep class of arms that could help the Angels out, some being bigger risks than others. One of the more polarizing options is Hyun-Jin Ryu, who was great for the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 1.97 regular season ERA.
However, someone like Ryu (and the other potential options) do not have the reliability the Angels are looking for. Instead of taking a flier on someone like that, the Angels need to pursue the biggest arm of the winter, Patrick Corbin.
Dallas Kuechel may end up getting more money than Corbin but Corbin is arguably the most talented pitcher available. The southpaw tossed exactly 200 innings this season with a 3.15 ERA and 246 strikeouts.
A low 3.00 ERA may be his ceiling and isn’t great “ace” numbers but he is consistent. Corbin has the ninth-most innings pitched the last two seasons and 11th-best FanGraphs WAR.