Breaking Down the Angels' Winter Meetings
December 15, 2024 - Written by Kian Behravan
Photo Credit : @MLBTradeRumors - X
It’s been a couple of days since the 2024 Winter Meetings have concluded. Big transactions happened like Garret Crochet going to the Red Sox for two first-rounders and two more high-level prospects. Some things didn’t happen as well. Roki Sasaki remains unsigned, and the Angels did not acquire Major League talent. However, this does not mean the Angels were radio silent this past week. They made a couple of Minor League deals and acquired some players via the Rule 5 Draft. As for things going on behind the scenes, Perry Minasian has laid down the groundwork for upcoming deals and trades. Hopefully, these moves can translate into a positive during the 2025 season.
Dakota Hudson: MiLB Deal
The first signing the Angels made was with Dakota Hudson, agreeing to a Minor League deal. Hudson, 30, had a down year with the Rockies, posting a 2-12 record with a 6.17 ERA before succumbing to an elbow injury in August, the third in his career, ending his season. At the start of his career, he had a promising future, putting up great rookie numbers in 2018 out of the bullpen and not allowing a home run. His early years as a starter were consistent, too, but the elbow injuries slowed him down drastically. However, in 2023, Hudson entered in relief for six games, and he posted a 3.86 ERA, as opposed to the 5.26 mark as a starter. If Hudson can properly recover from his elbow injury and impress the front office in the minors, he could earn a call-up–but should become a reliever. He has shown more success out of the bullpen as shown in the stats. The Angels express a need for a solid bullpen year after year, and Hudson could fully transform into a middle reliever and find success at the major league level again.
Photo Credit : @MLBTradeRumors - X
Carter Kieboom: MiLB Deal
Carter Kieboom, 27, was a first-round pick in the 2016 draft and was impressive throughout his journey in the Minor Leagues. Upon his call to the Majors, he almost immediately disappointed. During his time with Washington since debuting, he’s spent more time in the minors. It could be argued that his lack of performance could be due to past injuries, but he certainly isn't the prospect he once was. In the Majors, he posts a saddening -1.8 WAR with under a hundred hits in nearly 450 at-bats. With these circumstances, adding on the fact that he’s a mediocre fielder, this signing may not have been the best idea for the Angels. However, Kieboom is still young and presumably has a lot of baseball left in him, so if he could somehow turn it around, he may be in company to replace Anthony Rendon at third base once his contract expires. Kieboom still has the potential to be a part of, if not the Angels, a Major League team by age 30, and hopefully turn his career around in the coming years.
Photo Credit : @BaseballAmerica - X
Draft Lottery: 2nd Pick
In this year’s MLB Draft Lottery, the Angels were awarded the second overall pick. The projected number-two pick is Jace LaViolette, a 21-year-old outfielder attending Texas A&M University. During his two seasons with the college, he’s had an increase in power, as his SLG grew 94 points, from .632 in 2023 to .726 in 2024. He’s become a better all-around hitter between those two seasons, improving in the four main rate stats, amounting to an OPS nearing 1.200 in 2024. A concern about LaViolette, however, is his strikeout rate, as it soars above 20% in his college career (162 K, 640 PA). According to Baseball Reference, there are no splits for college stats, so it’s difficult to figure out when these strikeouts happen. With a K-rate already below average in college, one can only assume the number will rise once he gets into professional ball. One positive, though, is that in the limited amount of available fielding stats, LaViolettle hasn’t made a single error. If this is the prospect the Angels aim for, there’s a solid chance he could, especially with the mentorship of Mike Trout, turn into a key outfielder in the next 5-6 years.
Potential Trade Target: Nolan Arenado
This week, Nolan Arenado added the Angels to a list of teams he would like to be traded to. West Side competitors include the Dodgers and Padres. Arenado, who will turn 34 at the beginning of the season, put together an average year for the Cardinals, slashing .272 / .325 / .394 to make an OPS+ of 101. One thing to focus on is the SLG. It’s down 65 points since last season, which is fully due to his sixteen home runs, as opposed to his 26 in 2023. This does not take away the fact he’s still an above-average hitter, but it does show that his age might be catching up to him. His K% and Whiff% are still elite, so when he gets pitches in the zone, he hits them and hits them well (27.6 Squared-Up%). Even with his home-run-pop diminishing, he’s still a star third baseman, in terms of fielding. Arenado boasted a 10 OAA (Outs Above Average) in 2024, putting him in the 95th percentile of third basemen.
Photo Credit : @Cardinals - X
Arenado is owed $74 million for the remainder of his contract through 2027, so it’s a hefty bill to take on with the two large contracts already in place with Anthony Rendon ($77+ million thru 2026) and Mike Trout ($220+ million thru 2030). If the Angels could land a deal with the Cardinals to send him over, it would shift things around in the field. Considering Kevin Newman will be a super utility man playing all over, Arenado would be at third, Zach Neto would remain at shortstop, and there have been talks of a healthy Anthony Rendon moving to 2B or 1B this season while also seeing some time at DH. Also assuming Taylor Ward gets traded, a Christian Moore call-up could put him in left field instead of second base, hopefully putting Mickey Moniak in center, and finally moving Trout to a corner spot in right field. Arenado could be a cornerstone piece in the Angel’s infield until his contract is up, giving him a nice ending to an illustrious career.
Gleyber Torres
Gleyber Torres was in talks with the Angels this week regarding a deal. According to Jon Heyman, however, the deal fell through as Torres declined and has made staying on the East Coast a priority of his this offseason. Entering his age-28 season, Torres put together an OPS just north of .700, a low since his 2021 season. He’s not the most consistent hitter, constantly having ups and downs every season in terms of rate stats. On top of that, he’s not a great fielder either, putting together a -38 defensive runs saved over his career. Torres is likely seeking a deal north of $160 million, something the Angels probably did not want to go for. Torres still has a lot of career left, and the likely outcome is he signs with an East Coast team.
Photo Credit : @DodgersDigest - X
Rule 5 MLB Portion: Garrett McDaniels
In the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft, the Angels selected 24-year-old Garrett McDaniels, a lefty in the Dodgers system. 2024 was his first full season with a larger sample size since his 30th-round pick in 2018, where he posted a 3.19 ERA in just over 73 innings. He started seven games while coming in relief for his other 25. According to the splits, McDaniels did well in both, posting a 3.41 ERA as a starter and a 3.05 ERA as a reliever. In his starts, however, he would go an average of four innings, and pitches just under two per relief appearance. However, when he pitched in these longer outings, his strikeout-to-walk ratio would fall to just 1.44, as opposed to 4.69 when he’s out of the bullpen. This could likely be a sign of fatigue after just one or two innings of work. Since McDaniels was drafted in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft, the Angels have to have him on the 26-man roster all season long, otherwise they have to offer him back to the Dodgers. If McDaniels does find success in Spring Training and earn a Major League spot by age 26, he could either become a setup man or a long reliever to replace the very underwhelming Jose Suarez.
Rule 5 MiLB Portion: Gustavo Rodriguez & Josh Crouch
Right-handed reliever Gustavo Rodriguez was the first Angel’s Minor League pick in the Rule 5 Draft. At 23, he struggled this year at the A and A+ levels in the Cardinal’s farm system, putting together an ERA north of 4.30. In 2023, the numbers were worse. The main concern regarding these numbers was the fact that in 2018 and 2019, he posted elite numbers in the Dominican Summer League. Possibly, the cancellation of the Minor Leagues in 2020 may have thrown him off his game. Hopefully, Rodriguez can turn things around and become a solid bullpen arm in the coming years.
The next pick was Josh Crouch, a recently-turned 26-year-old catcher previously in the Tiger’s system. He had a great 2021 season at Central Florida, hitting above .300 and smashing 15 homers in just 209 at-bats. His time after he was drafted, however, has been very short of impressive. He’s been hitting just .250 in the Minors and is barely getting playing time in Double-A, having only played 20 games in that league across three seasons. As a guy who can’t get out of A-ball at 26, there doesn't seem to be a bright future for him.
More Third Baseman Targets: Alec Bohm & Eugenio Suarez
In addition to Arenado, the Angels have checked in on Alec Bohm and Eugenio Suarez. Bohm, 28, had a breakout season according to WAR, putting up 3 wins above replacement. The Angels are based around young talent in Neto, Schanuel, Caden Dana, and Ben Joyce, and adding one more player under 30 would certainly boost the lineup. In 2024, Bohm hit 44 doubles to go along with 15 homers and 97 RBI, also earning him an All-Star spot. A player of this caliber will require a hefty price tag, so the likelihood of the Angels going through with a proposition is small, but far from zero. It’ll cost them a couple of prospects and a more wellknown player. If this does go through, a trade like this could rattle the league and show that the Angels mean business going into 2025.
Suarez, 33, is a typical home-run-or-strikeout type of hitter, averaging 30 bombs and 178 strikeouts every 162 games. However, the average is not completely gone like with hitters in Joey Gallo or Kyle Schwarber, as he put up an on-par .256 mark in 2024. After going through a slump in 2023 when looking at rate stats, 2024 seemed to be a bounce-back season for Suarez. In early November, the Diamondbacks picked up Suarez’s $15 million option, and he said that he’s “very excited” to stay with the team. Suarez is possibly a trade the Angels could make, considering he has just one year left on his contract.
Taylor Ward will likely be the main piece in either of these trades, along with a high-level and average prospect, likely one pitcher and one infielder. Perry Minasian is looking to improve the hot corner, as the Angels third baseman slashed just .217 / .290 / .311. Arenado would be the best fit for the Angels, considering he was born in Newport Beach, CA, and attended El Toro High School, both of which are closer to Angel Stadium. The Dodgers don’t have a need for him, considering they have Max Muncy and a potential re-signing of Dodger-fan-favorite Kiké Hernández. The only real West Coast competition would be the Padres.
Signing: Victor Gonzalez
To conclude the winter meetings, the Angels signed lefty Victor González to, presumably, a Minor League deal. At age 29, he’s been pitching in Mexico but has played parts of four Major League seasons, where he puts up a career 3.36 ERA. In Mexico and the Minors, however, he puts up 4.93 ERA and 4.39 ERA marks, respectfully. If Gonzalez can do well in the minors, he could earn a quick callup and be a middle reliever, since a bullpen is something the Angels are in dire need of every year. This is a solid signing—it’s a low-risk, low-cost player who has shown that he can perform at the Major League level, and the Angels are probably excited to see where this can go.
What Does This Mean Going Forward?
A Taylor Ward trade seems almost guaranteed this offseason, and it could likely be for one of the three third basemen mentioned. Ward has earned his value as an Angel, and it’ll be heartbreaking to see him go. Nevertheless, if the Angels want to bounce back from their abysmal 2024 season, they have to make moves, and those moves will come with sacrifices. The hot corner is a dire need for the Angels, considering the health of Anthony Rendon and the underperformance of his replacements. As we near Spring Training, more transactions will be made, and the Angels will likely strive to be contenders this next season.
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