Angels Rumors

Jan 5, 2025 - Written by Bryan Whitfield

It continues to be all quiet on the Angels front since their last MLB acquisition, acquiring Yusei Kikuchi late in November. Since then it's been radio silence with a few minor league moves spotted around throughout the final month of 2024. There's a chance things could change in the new year as the Angels have a team regularly mentioned in the rumor mill. They have already been linked to switch-hitting outfielder, Anthony Santander, but now they might be in the mix for not one, but two other All Star caliber bats.

A 2-Time Homerun Derby Champion

Wednesday afternoon, Jon Heyman of the NY Post, reported on his weekly Bleacher Report livestream that the Angels have been weighing the possibility of signing former home run derby champion, Pete Alonso. Alonso, 30, has appeared in 4 All Star games while being a two-time Home Run Derby Champion and also brought home Rookie of the Year honors in 2019. Alonso has had 4 straight 30+ homer seasons with two of those seasons having notched 40 or more home runs in 2022 and 2023. While Alonso does bring a real power threat to the lineup, he has a career slash line of .249/.339/.514/.854. He has a lot of swing and miss in his bat as he struck out 172 times in the 2024 for the Mets. Alonso would provide the Angels with a true clean up hitter and he’s a durable one as he appeared in ALL 162 games plus each of the Mets playoff games. The issue however, is he's a first-baseman and a right-handed hitter who will cost a pretty penny with a qualifying offer attached. Meaning, if the Angels were to sign Pete Alonso, what would happen to the Angels 2023 first round selection, Nolan Schanuel. Jon Heyman suggested the team could opt to move Schanuel to LF to pave way for Alonso, however that seems unlikely and it's possible if they were to acquire the Polar Bear, the Angels would have Schanuel on the trade block which would remove Schanuel's left-handed presence from a right-handed dominated lineup. How serious of a pursuit the Angels are making to acquire Alonso is unknown, but personally they should rather go another route. It seems way too early to give up on Schanuel after just one full season plus removing the lefty presence would bring a huge inbalance to an already right-handed dominated lineup. Alonso is expected to land a deal around the $30M average annual value mark, but could land above that with the way the market has been this offseason. Alonso is currently seeking a 6-7 year deal according to Heyman. In his report, Heyman also mentioned the Angels and Alonso are off by total years of a contract. As of right now, the Mets seem like the most likely destination for the first baseman, but the Giants could also be in the running for Alonso's services.

Longtime Division Rival

Friday morning, Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio reported the Angels might be more interested in acquiring the services of longtime division rival, third baseman, Alex Bregman. Per Bowden, “I think they’re more interested in Bregman than they are in Alonso, to be frank about it, based on what I’ve been hearing with Perry Minasian.” Even theorizing the Alonso rumors could just be a leverage move by Boras, to help the Angels stay in on Bregman, while allowing Boras to use the Angels to force the Mets to up their offer for Alonso. Bregman hasn't been the same player he once was prior to the Astros cheating scandal came to light in November of 2019. Despite that, Bregman has still been a very solid player who is also coming off a gold glove season in '24. He will be 31 during the first series of the season, and the former two-time World Series Champion has had back-to-back All Star appearances dating back to 2018 & 2019. Coming off three straight seasons above a 4 WAR, Bregman would provide the Angels with some much needed stability at third base which has been a gapping hole with Anthony Rendon's continued injury absence year in and year out. Last season, Bregman logged 26 homeruns with 75 RBIs while collecting a .260 AVG and 118 WRC+. While the fit is there, Bregman will likely command a similar average annual value as Alonso of about $30M. Once again, the market could bring that number slightly higher depending on how much interest there has been. As of now we know the Tigers, Red Sox, Mets and Blue Jays have been in touch with the former All Star. The Tigers make the most sense for Bregman as his former manager, AJ Hinch, is the current manager in Detroit.

The Smart Play

It's been clear the past couple of weeks that Arte Moreno is looking to make a big splash this offseason the only way he knows how, in the form of a big name power bat that will draw in bigger attendance numbers. The Angels could just be leverage in all of this, but the reality is, the teams window to compete for a playoff spot likely doesn't open until 2026, even with an addition of this caliber. The Angels are still missing some arms in the bullpen along with an ace on the roster and while their isn't a clear ace available anymore outside of Japanese phenom, Rōki Sasaki, there are still plenty of quality relievers available on the open market. The smart move would be to stand clear of these two players and go after Santander. If Arte truly wants to make a big splash this offseason, Santander, who will be a cheaper option, makes a lot more sense as he would provide much needed stability in the lineup as a switch-hitter and still brings in massive power numbers. They could also fill out the roster the rest of this offseason with non-flashy moves, and focus on the 2026 offseason to make a big splash. Now of course, if they were to acquire the services of Santander, Alonso, or Bregman the Angels would be required to part with their 2nd round pick in the 2025 Draft, about 47 overall, along with 500k in international bonus pool money. Are the Angels willing to sign a player with a qualifying offer attached? We'll be sure to find out in the final five weeks prior to pitchers and catchers reporting for Spring Training in February.

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