The latest report from MLB insider Ken Rosenthal will frustrate Los Angeles Angels fans. Angels general manager Perry Minasian is reportedly interested in making Blake Snell, who remains unsigned in MLB free agency, the Halos’ ace. Team owner Arte Moreno isn’t interested in signing the reigning National League Cy Young winner, though, according to Rosenthal.
“My understanding of where the Angels are is that Perry Minasian, their GM, has been lobbying Arte Moreno all winter to sign a Blake Snell, maybe to sign a JD Martinez,” Rosenthal said, via Foul Territory. “And Arte Moreno has held fast and said ‘no, we’re not doing at least Blake Snell’ to this point.
“Now is it possible that it drops? Buster Olney of ESPN reported about, I don’t know, a week ago that the Angels are actually Blake Snell’s preference. That would seemingly indicate that maybe there’s a chance there, but historically Arte Moreno has not given long term contracts to starting pitchers.”
Sorry Angels fans
The Angels have needed pitching for years. Instead, they have signed position players nearing or already 30 like Albert Pujols and Anthony Rendon. Of course, they addressed the need by signing Shohei Ohtani, but that was an exception. And Los Angeles ended up not even trading him for anything in return, instead watching him leave in free agency for almost nothing aside from a draft pick.
They had been linked to aces such as Gerrit Cole while they were in MLB free agency. Is it possible that many All-Star pitchers decided to sign elsewhere? Possibly, but one would have imagined that star pitchers wouldn’t have minded playing in Southern California on a team that featured Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.
Snell is reportedly interested in playing with the Angels now, and that interest is present despite Ohtani’s departure. The Angels should jump at the opportunity to add a legitimate ace, and instead Moreno doesn’t want to spend the money, at least according to Rosenthal.
There is not much else to say about the Angels. They have not reached the playoffs since 2014 and have just one World Series victory in their history. They will continue to be linked to Blake Snell, but fans of the team probably should not get their hopes us.
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