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Sifting through the bargain bin in search of further roster upgrades

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Angels have already improved their team considerably this winter, and they’ve done so while spending very little in terms of money and players and without handing out any long-term contracts. However, their roster is not yet entirely complete, and there just so happens to be quite a few players still available who could improve the team in various areas.

If they all stay healthy and reach their potential, Garrett Richards, Matt Shoemaker, and Tyler Skaggs could certainly form a dependable trio at the top of the rotation in 2017. But that’s a very big "if," and the Angels could use another reliable starter in the rotation.

This offseason’s free-agent starting pitching market was the one of the most barren we’ve seen in years, and the best option currently available is 34-year-old Jason Hammel.

Over the last three seasons, Hammel recorded a 3.68 ERA and made 30 or 31 starts each year, tossing an average of 171 innings per seasons. Aside from 13 starts with Oakland in 2014, every other start was with the Cubs, so he has definitely benefited greatly from an elite defense. And while the Angels’ defense won’t be on the Cubs’ level, they do figure to have one of the best defenses in the league next season.

Still, you’d have to factor in a natural drop-off in effectiveness due to his age in addition to a move to the American League.

There’s also another former Cub on the market in the form of lefty Travis Wood, who, like the newly-acquired Jesse Chavez, has the ability to start or relieve. Wood is about to turn 30 years old and is two years removed from being a full-time starter.

From 2012-2014, Wood made at least 26 starts per season and pitched to the tune of a 4.08 ERA and 4.37 FIP. He transitioned to a swingman role in 2015, throwing 100 2/3 innings in 54 games (9 starts), before moving to more of a middle relief role last year, tossing 61 innings in 77 appearances and uncharacteristically struggling to get righties out. In that two-year span, he posted a 3.51 ERA and 3.97 FIP.

If not Hammel or Wood, then you’re left with veterans like Doug Fister, Colby Lewis, and Jorge de la Rosa. At this point, all of those guys – with the possible exception of Wood – can likely be had on cheap, one-year deals. Personally, signing another starter doesn't seem all that necessary, as I'd like to believe that at least one of the pitchers they have lined up to compete for the fifth spot in rotation will be able to develop into a serviceable back-of-the-rotation starter.

However, one might contend that adding a starting pitcher is essential because doing so would indirectly improve the bullpen, as Chavez would move to the bullpen permanently. But if upgrading the bullpen is the goal, why not just sign a reliever instead?

Right now, the Angels’ bullpen appears to be the team's weakest link, and its most glaring weakness is a left-hander. Jose Alvarez is the only lefty currently slated to be a part of the Angels’ bullpen, and while he has been relatively effective in his two seasons in Anaheim, he hasn’t really been used as a lefty specialist. He’s simply been used as a middle reliever for the most part. The only lefties with the ability to fill the role of lefty specialist in 2017 are Greg Mahle and Cody Ege, and neither have established themselves at the major league level, which makes an addition of a veteran lefty almost necessary.

The best left-handed relievers currently available via free agency are Boone Logan and Jerry Blevins.

Logan is 32 years old and has spent time with the White Sox, Braves, Yankees, and most recently, the Rockies. He has a career 4.45 ERA and in his last two seasons in Colorado, he posted a 3.97 ERA and a 3.43 FIP in 81 2/3 innings. In that span (2015-2016), lefties hit just .181/.286/.255 against him.

Blevins is a year older and is similarly effective. In his 10-year career with the A's, Nationals, and Mets, Blevins has a 3.44 ERA to go along with a 3.58 FIP, holding lefties to a .207/.266/.322 line.

In addition to giving the Angels a pitcher who is lights out against lefties, both Logan and Blevins would give their bullpen something else they are in need of – a strikeout pitcher. Since 2014, both lefties have struck out 28.2% of the batters they have faced, which is tied for 28th-best among 163 relievers with at least 100 innings thrown in that time frame. The Angels? Well, their bullpen ranked dead last in strikeout percentage last year at 18.8%.

Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported that Blevins and Logan are going to "secure deals of at least two years and $12 million." The Angels are about $12 million under the luxury tax threshold right now, so a contract worth about $6 million or so annually won’t break the bank nor would it prohibit them from making an addition at the Trade Deadline if the opportunity were to present itself.

A cheaper alternative to Logan and Blevins would be J.P. Howell. Howell struggled last year but has handled lefties well throughout his career (.226/.306/.317).

There are also plenty of right-handed veteran relievers available who wouldn't cost much at all such as Matt Belisle, Sergio Romo, and David Hernandez as well as quite a few of our old friends like the revitalized Joe Blanton (Sorry, I had to at least mention him) in addition to Joe Smith, Fernando Salas (Sorry, again), and Kevin Jepsen.

No matter the name, another reliever would greatly improve their postseason chances, as the Angels’ bullpen is currently filled with question marks and little stability.

And while the rest of their team is mostly set, there is one area that could be upgraded. And that position is catcher.

Their current tandem of Martin Maldonado and Carlos Perez should be fantastic defensively but will certainly leave much to be desired on the offensive side. That’s where Matt Wieters comes in.

Aside from a couple of standout seasons, Wieters has never been a spectacular hitter, but he has been better than the average catcher. In his career, he has a 97 wRC+ and over the last two seasons since his return from Tommy John surgery, he has a 93 wRC+.

On one hand, one could argue that Wieters’ production might get back closer to its All-Star levels we saw for a couple of seasons because he is now fully healthy. On the other hand, one could argue that the switch-hitter’s production will only get worse from here, as he will be 31 years old in May.

But at this point, his market has just about dried up, meaning he will likely garner no more than a one-year deal, so might it be worth it? Last year, Angels’ catchers combined for a 74 wRC+, eighth-worst in the majors. Therefore, even a season like the one he had last year, when he hit .243/.302/.409 (88 wRC+), would offer an upgrade.

However, with that slight offensive upgrade would come a significant defensive downgrade, so would it even be a net gain? I’m not so sure.

Steamer currently projects Perez and Maldonado to each be worth 0.9 Wins Above Replacement while Wieters projects to be worth 1.4 WAR. Wieters would take the place of Perez and thus, he would likely be no more than a marginal upgrade, and money would probably be better spent elsewhere.

The way I see it, a player like Logan or Blevins would make the most noticeable impact on the Angels. Hammel would make some sense as well, but it’s tough to expect much from a 34-year-old starter, and adding another starter isn't necessarily a priority right now. Wood might also be a fit, but he, too, is difficult to predict, as he posted unimpressive strikeout and walk rates and benefitted from an extremely low BABIP last year. And Wieters’ offense is enticing, but his age and recent injury history is worrisome.

As it stands, the Angels’ bullpen is in need of immediate help more than any other area of the team, and the current buyer’s market lends them a perfect opportunity to provide exactly that while simultaneously keeping their payroll beneath the luxury tax threshold.

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