MLB Rumors: 3 best Marcus Stroman free-agent destinations plus 1 dark horse

1) The Angels make sense for a couple of reasons when looking at Marcus Stroman destinations

The Twins losing Gray hurt, but the Los Angeles Angels losing Shohei Ohtani was obviously the biggest blow dealt of the offseason thus far. What the Angels do to recover, if anything, remains to be seen, but if they do want to compete, they're going to have to upgrade their rotation.

In an ideal world, the Angels swoop in and sign one of the big names available, but they haven't been connected much with guys like Yamamoto and Montgomery, and the Snell whispers have been minor at best. The Angels will likely look toward the second tier of starters if they do make a rotation upgrade, and that's where Stroman lies.

A Stroman addition works for the Angels for a couple of reasons. First, their GM, Perry Minasian, has a relationship with him. Minasian worked in the Toronto Blue Jays organization as a scout while Stroman was there. It wouldn't be surprising to find out that Minasian likes Stroman.

Second, the new Angels manager, Ron Washington, is known for improving team defenses, particularly in the infield. Having a ground ball specialist like Stroman pitching in front of what should be a much improved defensive infield could make a lot of sense.

The Angels aren't a team many will think about with no Ohtani, but they're a team in dire need of some pitching. Stroman isn't the ace they need, but could still really help them improve.