One free agent each MLB team should sign right now

Los Angeles Angels: Jake Arrieta

It has already been a very busy offseason for the Los Angeles Angels, as they have added Shohei Ohtani, Ian Kinsler, Zack Cozart and found enough money to keep Justin Upton after he opted out of his contract. Even with all of those moves, it is worth wondering how much the Angels have really improved. Ohtani is still a wild card who will need time to adjust to the higher level of play in Major League Baseball, Kinsler is in decline, Cozart was a career .246/.289/.385 hitter before breaking out last season and will be learning a new position, and Upton is one of the streakiest hitters in the league who batted just .248/.323/.460 combined in 2015 and 2016.

Let’s acknowledge that the Angels are likely playing for second place at best in the AL West behind the Astros. They aren’t as good as the New York Yankees, and the Minnesota Twins have a much weaker schedule playing in the AL Central where three teams are rebuilding. It’s going to be a dogfight to grab a Wild Card in the AL this season.

The Angels will count on Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney finally finding a way to get through a season healthy. This pair has plenty of talent but has made a combined 18 starts in the past two seasons while dealing with serious arm injuries. Further down the rotation pecking order are Matt Shoemaker and Tyler Skaggs, two soft-tossers who have one season with more than 150 innings in parts of 10 combined seasons in the big leagues.

If the Angels are serious about making a big push leading into Mike Trout’s free agency, then there needs to be one more big move left this winter. Go out and grab Jake Arrieta and show the rest of the league you really mean business.