Cody Bellinger rumors: Ranking 5 suitors as offseason slows to a crawl

2) The Angels need a big bat like Cody Bellinger after losing Shohei Ohtani

The Los Angeles Angels lost Shohei Ohtani and have done nothing major to bounce back from that. They've improved their bullpen in a big way by signing guys like Robert Stephenson and Matt Moore, but they have yet to address their rotation outside of an underwhelming Zach Plesac signing, and the only position player they've given a MLB deal to is Aaron Hicks.

The Angels cannot realistically replace Shohei Ohtani's production. That's part of why he fetched a contract worth $700 million from the Dodgers. They can, however, still sign a middle-of-the-order bat like Bellinger to plus around a lineup that looks decent.

Mike Trout is still there. Brandon Drury was just a Silver Slugger finalist for a second straight year. Rookies Logan O'Hoppe, Zach Neto, and Nolan Schanuel impressed in their short stints. Veterans Taylor Ward and Luis Rengifo are solid contributors. Who knows, they might even get a little something out of Anthony Rendon this year.

Adding Bellinger won't make the Angels a playoff team, but if they refuse to rebuild, he at least gets them closer to the conversation. A low-pressure environment that would have him reunite with a coach he's very familiar with could be what's best for Bellinger.