Angels News: Halos Pegged as Losers of Shortstop Carousel This Offseason
The Angels entered this offseason with a huge need at shortstop. Lucky for them, there were four really good ones on the market in Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson. However, those free agents all found new homes, and none of them settled down in Los Angeles.
The Angels struggled from the shortstop position in 2022, which is what ESPN’s David Schoenfield pointed out when he pegged them as one of the losers of the crazy shortstop carousel. But to be fair, his article came out before the Angels signed utility man Brandon Drury, who could spend some time at shortstop. Drury, however, has only played at shortstop in 11 games in his career, so it remains to be seen how much he's going to play there. Here's what Schoenfield had to say before they added Drury:
"In 2021, Angels shortstops ranked 23rd in the majors in OPS. In 2022, they ranked 28th. Andrew Velazquez has a good glove but hit .196 with a strikeout-to-walk ratio that would make Baez blush. He’s adequate, but this is a big-market team trying to get over the hump of no playoff appearances since 2014. The Angels’ current estimated payroll is $212 million. Sure, one of the free agent shortstops would have pushed them above the tax threshold, but an additional four or five wins could easily mean the difference between the Angels making the playoffs or not making it. OK, they’re up for sale and maybe they want to save in hopes of re-signing Ohtani. Given that Ohtani is unlikely to re-sign anyway, shouldn’t you go all-in while you have Ohtani and Mike Trout together?"
The Angels were interested in signing one of the top four shortstops, but they just weren’t able to compete with the huge contracts that they all received. Swanson seemed like the most likely candidate, but even he got a seven-year, $177 million deal.
The Angels did find incredible value with Drury, however, at two years and just $17 million. But, like I said, he's only appeared at shortstop in 11 games in his career. He has the ability to play all over the diamond, which is what the Angels were looking for this offseason. But who knows if he'll be the guy at shortstop.
The same can be said about Gio Urshela, who also has spent some time at shortstop in his career, but it sounds like the Angels want to move him around to provide depth all over the diamond.
With the acquisition of Drury, it does feel like the Angels are done on the shortstop market — and Angels GM Perry Minasian did say that he felt the current roster (before the addition of Drury) had talent at the shortstop position.
So the question now will be, who is going to play that position on a consistent basis? Or will it just be a revolving door all year long?
There are still some questions regarding the shortstop position, but as of now, the Angels do look a lot better than they did when Schoenfield initially wrote the article.
