Los Angeles Angels: Time to go all in and throw money at Bryce Harper
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Angels have only been adding one-year contracts this offseason and should just go all in and break the trend and sign Bryce Harper.
The Los Angeles Angels have been busy this offseason and have spent a notable amount of money. Los Angeles has spent the ninth-most among MLB teams this offseason, checking in at $34.5 million.
All of these additions have been one-year contracts, however, as the Angels are looking to contend in 2019 without it potentially biting them in the future.
The Halos have added Justin Bour, Matt Harvey, Trevor Cahill, Jonathan Lucroy and Cody Allen. Angel fans have every season to think that the front office is done making moves, especially after general manager Billy Eppler said that the team “stretched the budget” to sign Cody Allen.
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The Los Angeles Angels should do the unexpected and not only spend more money this offseason but spend money on the priciest free agent of the winter: Bryce Harper. As February and Spring Training approaches, the window is only getting wider for the Angels to bring in Harper.
Does it make complete sense for the Angels financially? Not entirely. Does the team have to make this move in order to not only contend but to keep Mike Trout after 2020? Probably.
As the weeks have passed the suitors for Harper have narrowed down and the price has presumably lowered. Teams don’t want to pay $400 million for a guy, let alone $300 million. That is where the Angels step in.
The Angels should offer Harper a nice, round $300 million across seasons. That is $30 million a season with accolade incentives that can raise it as high as $35 million.
How would the Angels stand financially? Adding $35 million would put the Angels at $202 million, $4 million under the luxury tax threshold. Yes, the Angels can add Harper and not pay a fine.
It gets better, too, as the Angels will be freeing up money after 2019. Los Angeles is freeing up $47.8 million in salary cap space with the expiring contracts. After arbitration and salary increases for certain players, the Angels will, at the very least, be taking $35 million off the payroll.
Zack Cozart is gone after 2020 and will save another $12.67 million. The Angels should take half of that and raise Andrelton Simmons‘ salary, as he will be a free agent after 2020, to around $22 million annually.
It is safe to say that the Angels will have around $40 million freed up once it is time to pay Trout. At that point, the Angels could sign him to a 10-year, $400 million deal, which uses up all the freed up money, but still would be comfortably under the then-$210 million luxury tax.
Would it be complicated to bring in certain free agents and fill out the roster? It could be.
Next. Cody Allen signing was predictable. dark
However, the Los Angeles Angels are already pushing it dangerously close to losing Mike Trout after 2020 if the team cannot field a competitive team. The only solution is what got the team in this rut, to begin with: sign a free agent to a massive contract.