Angels News: Halos Tried to Sign All-Star Starting Pitcher To Finalize Rotation

They're clearly serious about adding another starting pitcher.

The Angels have been very active in their pursuit of a sixth starting pitcher in their rotation. They've been linked to tons of top starting pitchers, and were reportedly in on RHP Chris Bassitt before he signed with the Blue Jays.

But Bassitt wasn't the only top starter they tried to sign. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Angels also tried to sign former All-Star RHP Nathan Eovaldi, before he ultimately decided to sign with another team in the American League West, the Texas Rangers.

"The Angels were in the mix for free-agent right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, but faced two disadvantages. One was Eovaldi’s desire to return to his native Texas; he is from Alvin, about a five-hour drive from the Rangers’ home in Arlington. The other was the difference in state income taxes. California’s top rate is 13.3 percent. Texas has no state income tax.

"Angels officials viewed Eovaldi as a pitcher who, when combined with Shohei Ohtani and Anderson, would have made the top of their rotation even more formidable. The team is not necessarily looking to add another starter, but its pursuit of Eovaldi reflects a continuing desire to add impact pieces if possible."

The Angels weren't able to secure Eovaldi, but this does prove that they're willing to spend big for another starting pitcher. As of right now, the Angels rotation consists of RHP Shohei Ohtani, and four LHPs in Tyler Anderson, Patrick Sandoval, Reid Detmers and Jose Suarez.

Another starting pitcher could push Suarez to the sixth starter spot, and give the Angels one of the best rotations in all of baseball. However, the market is definitely drying up at this point in the offseason.

The Angels could still target someone like RHP Michael Wacha, or trade for former seven-time All-Star Chris Sale. Outside of those guys, however, there aren't a lot of great options for the Angels to shore up their rotation. It'll be interesting to see who they ultimately end up adding before next season.