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Los Angeles Dodgers’ biggest competition for Gerrit Cole

By Jason Reed

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 27: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros delivers the pitch against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning in Game Five of the 2019 World Series at Nationals Park on October 27, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 27: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros delivers the pitch against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning in Game Five of the 2019 World Series at Nationals Park on October 27, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Dodgers
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Dodgers /

1. Los Angeles Angels

The narrative here is the same narrative that the Los Angeles Dodgers are benefitting from: the Los Angeles Angels give Gerrit Cole a homecoming. The Southern California native can come home and pitch in front of his family in half of his games and get paid big while doing so.

The Angels have never been a team that is afraid to spend money and the team has space under the luxury tax threshold to bring in Cole. They have offered massive contracts time and time again and the Angels would be absurd to suddenly turn the other way when Cole is the free agent that is asking for a massive contract.

Most importantly is the fit. The Angels were as bad as they were in 2019 because of the pitching. The starting rotation was very poor and no matter how good Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and company could hit, the pitching was far too unreliable.

Cole would be the ace arm that the Angels need to start a new era in Anaheim. Cole as the ace with Ohtani as the second arm is a great start. One more solid guy to be the third starter, Andrew Heaney and Griffin Canning is not a bad rotation if it can stay healthy.

The Angels are not winners now, which could concern Cole, who just came up short in the World Series. However, the team could pitch this outlook to convince Cole that they will be winners shortly.

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