Fanmail Friday - Is Another Vladdy Generation in the Cards for the Angels?
Jan 24, 2025 - Written by Bryan Whitfield
Photo Credit : @Angels - X
We are thrilled to announce that starting this week, we will be hosting a weekly Fanmail Friday Q&A Event, where fans can interact with us directly. Fans will be able to submit questions at any time for a chance to be featured on our weekly Fanmail Friday Q&A. Fans will be notified on Thursdays via Instagram & X to submit their questions on our Google Forms link. We are hoping to have a different writer every week to answer your questions so you can get different insight from all of us here on InsideHalos.com! This is a fantastic opportunity to have your burning questions answered, gain insights into latest rumors or news, as well as spark discussions within our passionate community. Whether you're curious about players, team dynamics, or the future of the Halos, our Q&A is the perfect platform to delve into all things related to the world of Halos. Make sure you mark your calendars and submit your questions for us to be answered every Friday right here on InsideHalos.com!
Q: What really needs to happen for this team to finish above .500 this season? - Zack from California (@zwolfe29)
A: Well for starters, health will be a big factor for the Angels this season. If big contributors like Mike Trout, among others, can’t stay healthy, the likelihood the Angels make the playoffs this season massively dwindles. The Angels need a lot of factors to go right for them to go from a 99-loss team to a playoff contender. You’ll need players to massively step up to get this team to the promise land and that goes for players currently on their roster, as well as players currently in the farm system like Caden Dana, Christian Moore and even others. These are guys you need to make an impact to help propel you to October baseball. Aside from that, they also added some great pieces in the month of November that should be able to help them, but is it enough to get them to the playoffs? That is yet to be seen. Their offseason should not be over as they can still make improvements in many areas such as the bullpen and even the infield. Hopefully they keep adding to improve this roster.
Q: Do you think Ward could move to 3B to provide flexibility incase Rendon is well…Rendon again? (@jvjackson)
A: Genuinely, I don’t see Taylor Ward making the move back to the infield. Back in 2022, an article written by Sports Illustrated, speaks on how Ward focused too much on learning a new position that it actually hindered his offensive capabilities. "Fast forward four years, and Ward is happy to put his days in the infield behind him.” Ward said, “I think the biggest thing is knowing that that’s my spot now. Like, that’s mine, now people have to take it from me. I think that’s the biggest thing that’s really helped kind of secure things. But the transition from catcher to third to left to first, they’re all learning moments, you know? I kind of just take bits and pieces here and there and try and get better.” I think leaving Ward in the outfield is the smart thing to do. You also have some new much needed depth that can help supplement the position if Rendon goes down again. Luis Rengifo, Kevin Newman, Scott Kingery, Carter Kieboom, JD Davis and possibly even Christian Moore can cover 3B in the event of an injury. That’s a lot of much needed depth and allows Ward to be the OF he has become.
Q: Will the Angels sign Pete Alonso or Jack Flaherty this offseason? (@chips_goat13)
A: Let’s start with Jack Flaherty. The Angels likely will not sign Flaherty this offseason, and there’s a couple of reasons why. For one, he was best friends with former Angels pitcher, Tyler Skaggs. While that could be a good sign in some peoples eyes, the Skaggs family is currently in a lawsuit with the Angels over the death of Tyler. In my mind, if you were really close to someone, would you really join a team that is currently in the midst of a lawsuit with your best friends family over the death of that same best friend? Probably not. So I think, Flaherty to the Angels is just never going to happen and we can probably put that to bed.
Pete Alonso on the other hand, I think there’s a decent likelihood this could happen. It was actually reported earlier today by Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated, who covers the Yankees and Mets, that the Angels had a meeting with Alonso and his camp yesterday. Now, if this report is true, this could very well mean the Angels are serious about bringing the Polar Bear to Anaheim. While the fit isn’t perfect, the Angels could add a massive power hitting first baseman to their arsenal. The Angels would either have to move Nolan Schanuel to a new position like leftfield or trade him. Schanuel was the Angels first round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft so its hard to see them move on from the youngster so soon. If the Angels do somehow land Alonso, I fully expect the Angels to keep Schanuel and move him to a new position whether that is leftfield or another position.
Q: I know the draft is a decent ways away, but who do you think we should take? (@joshplanitz19)
A: Obviously a lot of things can change between now and Draft Day, but it’s always fun to speculate! The Angels are in a prime position in the 2025 MLB Draft with the 2nd overall pick, only behind the Washington Nationals. Right now there are two clear top prospects in this years draft. What the Nationals do, will likely directly impact what the Angels. Whoever the Nationals take, the Angels likely will take the other player. Per MLB Pipeline, those top two players are SS/3B Ethan Holliday out of Stillwater HS and OF Jace LaViolette out of Texas A&M. Drafting based on need should never be a teams focus in the first round of the draft. You should always take best available. LaViolette and Holliday are practically a coin flip. That decision will come from the Nationals with the Angels taking whoever they don’t. Holliday will be 18 on Draft Day, so he likely will go through a longer development process. LaViolette on the other hand is 21 and will have a fast track to the big leagues like Nolan Schanuel, Zach Neto and soon to be called up, Christian Moore. If it were up to me, between the two players…I think I would take Jace LaViolette as he fits the young core better age wise and has the capability to be the centerfielder and finally boot Trout to a corner outfielder spot. Don’t get me wrong, I will be stoked if the Angels select Ethan Holliday in July. Both will be incredible prospects. As of right now I want them to take best available, so I would stay away from LHP Jamie Arnold and RHP Tyler Bremner. Now of course, rankings can change between now and July so my opinion could very well change between now and Draft Day.
Q: Did the Angels really give up this offseason after a great start? (@tonygonzo277)
A: The Angels had a phenomenal start to the offseason being the most active team in the first month of the offseason. Since then they have made ZERO major league moves, they have made minor league signings such as infielders Tim Anderson and J.D. Davis, but both aren’t guys you can rely on and will be depth. Did they give up, no, I don’t think so. From all reports I’ve seen this offseason, the Angels have been incredibly active and Perry and Co. have been scouring all areas to improve this team. The Angels unfortunately aren’t as appealing to free agents as they once were (Isaias will have an article with more insight on this tomorrow!). The team now has to overpay free agents to convince them to come here unless they are a California native who wants to come back home such as Kyle Hendricks, Kevin Newman and Travis d’Arnaud. There’s also a factor that free agents are in charge of their own destiny and choosing their new home. Corbin Burnes is a prime example of this, the Angels should have been all over adding an ace this offseason and Burnes would have been perfect as he grew up an Angels fan. We don’t know for sure if there was dialogue between the Angels and Burnes, but what we do know is he was the one that engaged the Arizona Diamondbacks in hopes of being close to home with his newly born twins and wife. Sometimes there are aspects that are just bigger than baseball. Nobody had Burnes landing with the DBacks, but it happened. I still don’t believe our offseason is done, at the very least the team will add a bullpen arm or two and maybe even an infielder.
Q: Do you think Joe Lacob could be the Angels savior if he took over? (@itzyaboi_carlos) & When will Arte sell the team? (@lukeffranklin)
A: I want to start off by saying I don’t watch basketball, so I don’t know how well Lacob truly owns and manages the Golden State Warriors. What I do know is he spends money and I’ve heard he could be the next Steve Cohen of Major League Baseball. Lacob grew up an Angels fan, so he should know the golden years us Angel fans once had and I’m sure he’d want to do everything in his power to get us out of this decade long slump. So with that being said, I do think Lacob would be a great owner for the Angels and want to take the Angels back into the playoffs to win another championship. As of right now, Arte Moreno has given no indication that he is willing to sell the team anytime soon. He will also be 80 years old at the end of the 2026 season and his children haven’t expressed a willingness to take over. My guess is he announces the team is back up on the market after the conclusion of the Tyler Skaggs trial or at the end of the 2026 season. Right now we are in the waiting game and we’ll see what happens. Lacob was someone that was interested in purchasing the Angels back when the Angels were briefly on the market from August 2022 to January 2023 so we’ll see if he’s interested in the Halos the next time they are up for sale.
Q: Do you think Tim Anderson makes the roster out of Spring? (@bordersman1960) & Will Christian Moore be on the Opening Day Roster? (@scott.immell)
A: I do think there is a pretty good chance Anderson is on the Opening Day roster. But, and its a big but, Anderson has to really prove himself in Spring Training. With Neto likely to miss the start of the regular season, shortstop is up for grabs with Kevin Newman being the leading candidate for the job to start the season. Second base is also a position that could be up for grabs as Rendon will have to prove he is still capable of being part of this roster. Luis Rengifo is currently the leading candidate to take over starting duties at 3B in the event Rendon is either hurt or benched to start the year. Anderson will have to show glimpses of the player he once was prior to 2023 and I think Ron Washington and staff will give him every opportunity to do so in Spring Training. Christian Moore is also someone who will be competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster, so Anderson will have competition from the Angels number 1 prospect who will also be given every opportunity to earn that job as the Angels are known to promote their prospects VERY quickly. Other candidates Anderson needs to beat out are Scott Kingery, Carter Kieboom, J.D. Davis and Ryan Noda who were also brought in this offseason. Noda and Kingery have an edge over everyone else as they are currently on the 40-man roster. My guess is Christian Moore gets the starting nod at 2B unless he falls flat in Spring Training. Anderson, I’d say 50/50, depends on which TA we get, the Anderson before 2023 or after.
Q: What are the odds the Angels sign Vladdy Jr. next offseason? (@colton_hughes)
A: While Arte has been a lot more tight to the chest when it comes to giving out long term contracts, I believe Vladdy Jr., will be the exception. Guerrero Jr. will be 26 years old and entering his age 27 season in 2026. He’s a 4-time All Star, 2x Silver Slugger and former gold glove first baseman. If Arte Moreno is still the owner next offseason, I think the Angels have a higher chance of signing him than if another owner takes over. Why, because of the history. Arte Moreno bought the Angels on May 15, 2003, entering his first offseason as owner of the Angels he brought in Kelvim Escobar, Bartolo Colón, José Guillén, and most importantly, Vladimir Guerrero. Guerrero was signed to a 5-year, $70 million deal and the rest is history as he became the first player to go into the Hall of Fame as an Angel. The nostalgia along with Guerrero Sr. being among his first successful signings should be able to entice Moreno to sign Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He will certainly get a lucrative deal in the $400M+ range, but I think Arte will get it done. It not only would make him happy, but it would also bring Angels fans back to Anaheim to enjoy yet another Vladimir Guerrero in an Angels uniform!
Thank you all so much for those who participated this week, if we didn’t get to your question or if you have any questions you want to submit to InsideHalos.com, please click the button to submit your questions for next weeks Fanmail Friday! Thanks and see you next Friday for more!
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