The Angels take Worthy Gamble on Zach Plesac
Jan 2, 2024 - Written by Bryan Whitfield
Photo Credit: @mlbtraderumors - Twitter/X
In a somewhat surprising move, the Angels have reportedly signed right-handed pitcher Zach Plesac to a Major League deal. The exact details of the deal have now been announced as of January 6th. Plesac was signed to a 1 year deal worth $1M. This acquisition by the team has the fanbase pretty split as far as whether this is a good move or not. The right-hander had a 7.59 ERA in 5 games started last season, which led to the Cleveland Guardians to DFA Plesac on June 4th. Plesac hasn’t been the same pitcher he once was but despite the risks involved, lets take a closer look as to why this signing makes a lot of sense for the Angels and how it could pay off in the long run.
High Upside Potential
One of the main reasons this signing is viewed as a positive move is due to Zach Plesac's tremendous upside potential. At just 28 years old, he is entering the prime age of his career and has already shown glimpses of his talent early in his career with the Cleveland Guardians. In the shortened 2020 season, Plesac owned an incredible 2.28 ERA in 55.1 total innings pitched. Over his career he has been a 4.20 ERA pitcher with an average of 6.92 K/9 and a 2.37 BB/9. Plesac possesses a dynamic fastball-slider combination, last season he sat around the 90-93 MPH mark. Given his young age and skill set, there is still plenty of room for growth and improvement, which the Angels hope new pitching coach, Barry Enright, as well as new bullpen coach, Steve Karsay, will be able to tap back into. If they are able to tap back into who he once was this could be a steal of a signing.
Cost-Effective Solution
From a financial perspective, signing Zach Plesac also gives the Angels a cost-effective solution. While financial details of the contract have yet to be announced, it is widely speculated that Plesac's deal is going to be a cost-effective deal for a starter who struggled heavily and was DFA’d last season. This gives the Angels flexibility to build out the rest of the roster and presents the Angels with little to no risk as they hope they can get Plesac back to where he once was. By signing Plesac to a low-risk deal, the organization is taking a smart financial approach while still potentially reaping the rewards of his talent.
Roster Flexibility
Despite Plesac being given a Major League deal, this signing gives the Angels a low cost depth option with a lot of roster flexibility. Plesac has 2 minor league options which means the Angels could have him start the year in the minors. While Plesac will be given a chance to compete for a rotation spot this Spring, it’s far more likely Perry Minasian brought Plesac in to be a depth option and be the Angels 6th, 7th or even 8th starter on the totem pole. This signing as well as the Adam Kolarek signing also should be a clear indicator that the Angels have plenty of money to spend giving fringe MLB guys a Major League deal rather than a Minor League deal which many speculated they’d get. This move by Perry allows the Angels to strengthen the back-end of the 40-man roster while still giving them nearly $70M to spend in free agency before hitting the Luxury Tax Threshold.
Complementary to Existing Rotation
Lastly, the addition of Plesac to the Angels' roster aligns perfectly with their current needs. The team has been longing for another right-handed starter in a lefty dominated Angels rotation. As it currently stands the Angels current rotation has three left-handed starters and they have since been linked to Blake Snell, Shōta Imanaga and Jordan Montgomery who are all left-handed starters. If the Angels were to acquire the services of one of those lefties it’s likely one of their current lefties is traded to help the team fill a hole in their roster. Detmers will have the most value but it’s unlikely they look to move him. Sandoval and Anderson on the other hand are more likely to be traded in this scenario. Regardless, the addition of Plesac is a necessary addition to this lefty dominated rotation.
The Bottom Line
While the signing of Zach Plesac may carry some clear risks, it is ultimately a gamble worth taking for the Los Angeles Angels. The potential upside, combined with low-cost, presents a worthwhile risk the Halos need to take. Additionally, with his roster flexibility this move presents little to no risk and in a worse case scenario, Plesac can be viewed as depth on the 40-man roster if the Angels need his services in 2024 and possibly beyond. Only time will tell if this gamble will pay off for the Angels, but one thing is for certain; this is a good signing for the Halos and at worse case, Plesac takes over the Jaime Barria role but will have a much higher floor than Barria did with the Halos during his tenure.
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