It’s possible that the Los Angeles Angels will add a few more players before Opening Day.
Though the 2024 season is quickly approaching, the Angels’ roster still has certain gaps. The Gold Glove Award winner Michael A. Taylor is one player the Angels apparently have targeted, according to MLB Trade Rumors’ Anthony Franco. The outfield is one area where the team still needs improvement.
The Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Angels, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, and the current team, the Minnesota Twins, have reportedly expressed interest in Taylor at various stages over the winter, according to Franco.
Some of those teams, however, took alternative approaches to dealing with the outfield. Enrique Hernández returned to the Dodgers.
Taylor’s chances of ever coming back to the Twin Cities were virtually eliminated when he signed that deal, which coincided with the shipment of Manuel Margot to Minnesota. Kevin Kiermaier was kept by Toronto to play center field.
A right-handed complementary player to their expected starting outfield would still be beneficial for the Red Sox, Reds, Pirates, and Angels.
But none of them would likely consider Taylor to be an everyday center fielder—rather, more of a fourth outfielder.
Taylor is still available at this stage in the spring, despite being linked to a few teams and receiving a lot of interest.
Throughout his career, the seasoned outfielder has played all three outfield positions, but he has mostly played center field.
Taylor might make some sense because Los Angeles still has a lot of money to spend. In 129 games played, he recorded a career-high 21 home runs and 51 RBIs in the previous season.
I thought Santana would platoon with Kirilloff against lefties and play occasionally against righties when the Twins signed him, but I’m now certain that he’ll start at first base regardless of the opponent. They appear to think Santana is still an everyday player at age 38 and have great regard for his glove.
Other than that, Kirilloff won’t likely see as much of a shift in his starting position from first base to designated hitter.
In either case, it’s believed that playing at designated hitter will help him maintain his health and productivity at the plate.
Santana, who the Twins signed to a one-year contract this summer, is hitting for home runs in his first spring training session, going 6 for 17.
Over the course of his 14-year career, Santana has hit.242 and hit 301 home runs while playing for the Indians, Phillies, Royals, Mariners, Pirates, and Brewers.
Santana hit.240 with 23 home runs in his two stints with the Pirates and Brewers last season. Following a midseason move, he assisted Milwaukee in making the playoffs, and in 2022 he accomplished the same feat for Seattle. Everyone knows that he has a good clubhouse presence.
He worked for Cleveland for ten years, and in 2016 he was a part of their World Series victory. In the 2019 season, he was also an All-Star and took home the Silver Slugger.
