Los Angeles Angels: Don’t expect Josh Harrison to be an Angel

The Los Angeles Angels are one of the teams reportedly interested in free agent utility man Josh Harrison but will not be the team to sign the former Pirate.

The Los Angeles Angels have been fairly active this offseason, exclusively signing free agents to one-year contracts. Thus far, the front office has brought in Justin Bour, Matt Harvey, Trevor Cahill, Jonathan Lucroy and Cody Allen on one-year contracts.

Whether or not you agree with this tactic is definitely subjective. However, it should be noted that most of these players had down seasons in 2018 compared to the rest of their careers, with Cahill being the lone exception.

The nature of the one-year contract incentivizes the players to produce, as they are going to be fighting for another contract next offseason while allowing the player to get paid slightly more this year. For the Angels, it can get the most out of a player while not committing to them long-term.

This strategy is smart if it is done at the right time. With the Angels looking to extend Mike Trout past the 2020 season, it might be smart financially but might not produce the long-term security that Trout would want to stay.

Either way, it is refreshing to hear that the Los Angeles Angels are one of the teams interested in free agent utility man, Josh Harrison.

While Harrison also enjoyed a down year last season, he is someone that can help the Angels on multiple levels. With the ability to play practically any infield position and the corner outfield spots, Harrison provides depth all around the roster.

That would be a very welcomed thing on the Angels, who typically lack depth. This lack of depth usually rises to the surface as the year goes along as the second the Angels get banged up the team starts to sink in the standings.

Great fit, right? Too bad it probably won’t happen.

The fans that hope the Angels will continue to spend this offseason will be disappointed, as general manager, Billy Eppler said that the team “stretched the budget” to sign the most recent acquisition, Cody Allen.

This, by all accounts, signals that the Los Angeles Angels are done spending this offseason, despite the reports of Harrison being a potential target. And while the team does have enough room to sign Harrison and stay under the luxury tax, a one-year deal is going to cost them more in 2019 than a two or three-year deal.

And as we have seen with every move that the front office has made, the team has no interest in signing two or three years deals.

Sorry, Los Angeles Angels fans, Josh Harrison will be playing elsewhere in 2019, even though he is a great fit in Anaheim.