Not done yet: Busy Angels seek more at Winter Meetings

ANAHEIM -- The Angels have been busy early this offseason, but they will look to make more progress in improving their roster with the annual Winter Meetings coming up Sunday through Wednesday in San Diego.

The Angels signed lefty Tyler Anderson to a three-year deal worth $39 million, and traded for third baseman Gio Urshela and right fielder Hunter Renfroe to improve their depth heading into next season. But general manager Perry Minasian knows there’s still plenty of work to do to add to a club that went 73-89 last year.

“We’ll continue to look to improve,” Minasian said. “There are definitely areas where I still think we could use a boost, whether that’s in the rotation, the bullpen or the infield. I feel like there are opportunities out there and we’ll explore all of them.”

Key events

• Sunday, Dec. 4: HOF Contemporary Era Ballot results released (Albert Belle, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Dale Murphy, Rafael Palmeiro, Curt Schilling)
• Monday, Dec. 5: All-MLB Team announced
• Tuesday, Dec. 6: Inaugural Draft Lottery, AL/NL Relievers of Year announced
• Wednesday, Dec. 7: Rule 5 Draft

Club needs

The Angels have addressed their rotation, infield and outfield, but they are still in the market for a shortstop and bullpen help, in addition to maybe one more starter. The Halos have some depth in the middle infield with David Fletcher, Luis Rengifo, Livan Soto and Andrew Velazquez, but adding an everyday shortstop would be huge for the lineup. There are star shortstops available in free agency such as Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, Dansby Swanson and Xander Boagerts, but it’s unclear if the Angels would be willing to make that kind of splash.

The bullpen is also a need, especially after trading closer Raisel Iglesias to the Braves at the Trade Deadline. The Angels signed Chris Devenski to a Minor League deal on Monday, but the 'pen remains a top priority. The Halos could also add a starter, although it’s more likely they would sign a player like Michael Lorenzen to a one-year deal than make another splash signing for a starter.

Potential trade candidates

The Angels have been willing to give up pitching, as they traded four pitchers to acquire Urshela and Renfroe. Outfielder Jo Adell also could be a trade candidate, especially after they acquired Renfroe to be an everyday outfielder along with Mike Trout and Taylor Ward.

Prospects to know

The Angels' No. 1 prospect is catcher Logan O'Hoppe, who was acquired in the trade that sent Brandon Marsh to the Phillies. He reached the Majors late last season and is expected to share time at catcher with Max Stassi. Shortstop Zach Neto is the Halos' No. 2 prospect and was the No. 13 pick in last year’s Draft. He reached Double-A Rocket City and is on the fast track to the Majors. O’Hoppe and Neto are the club’s only untouchable prospects.

But the Angels have several pitchers ranked among their Top 30 prospects who could impact the club in 2023, including Ky Bush (No. 4), Sam Bachman (No. 6), Chase Silseth (No. 7), Ben Joyce (No. 12) and Eric Torres (No. 26).

Rule 5 Draft

The Angels left shortstop Jeremiah Jackson (No. 13 prospect) and outfielder Jordyn Adams (No. 20) exposed to the Rule 5 Draft. There's a chance either could get taken, as they both reached Double-A last year and have plenty of potential, but their production has been uneven. The Angels have a full 40-man roster and would have to make a roster move to make a selection.

Burning question

How much more are the Angels willing to spend this offseason?

Owner Arte Moreno is exploring a sale of the club, but Minasian has been able to spend money freely early in the offseason -- as Anderson will make $13 million next year, while Renfroe is due to make roughly $11 million in arbitration and Urshela is expected to make about $9 million via arbitration.

The Angels still have several holes to fill, and it’s unclear if they’ll continue to add players in the last year of their contracts, like Renfroe and Urshela, or if they’ll add more players via multiyear deals, like Anderson. Minasian has said Moreno wants to put a winning club on the field and that it’s been business as usual so far. But it’ll be interesting to see how aggressive they are the rest of the offseason.