The Los Angeles Angels were one of the most active teams in baseball in the 2019-20 offseason. Having languished well behind the Houston Astros and the second-place Oakland Athletics in the American League West the past few years, they made a couple of big splashes by signing Anthony Rendon from the Washington Nationals and acquiring Joe Maddon to be their manager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The best player in baseball, Mike Trout, looks like he finally has some help. Is that enough to get this team to the playoffs or are they still a few bricks short of a load?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TO WIN WORLD SERIES: +2500 The Angels\u2019 biggest acquisition might not have been a player. Joe Maddon\u2019s run in Chicago as the manager of the Cubs came to an end and was the most coveted manager on the open market. After looking at San Diego and some other teams, he landed in Anaheim with the Angels. This is a big boost for a team whose culture had grown stale under former manager Mike Scioscia. It is true that Scioscia led the Angels to a World Series title in 2002 and several division championships and additional playoff appearances, but he had run his course and Brad Ausmus was not the answer. The team needed a fresh face, and Maddon is it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The other really big acquisition was the snagging of Anthony Rendon, who had an MVP-caliber 2019 season for the World Series champion Washington Nationals. Rendon gives Mike Trout genuine protection in the Angels\u2019 batting order, something Albert Pujols has simply not been able to provide in recent years, since Pujols is well past his prime as an older, slower, less efficient hitter. The Angels can go places with Rendon supporting Trout and giving the Halos a mean 1-2 punch in their batting order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The team knows it has to develop its starting pitching as well \u2013 this had been a weakness in recent years. The Angels acquired starting pitchers Julio Teheran and Dylan Bundy to bolster their starting rotation. The Angels had 19 different pitchers start a game for them last season, which is way too much. The Halos need stability, and hope Teheran and Bundy can offer it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Angels will win near 90 games and get into the playoffs. The starting pitching and middle relief are still too weak to become a 98-win division champion at the very top of the American League, but the hiring of Maddon as manager and the acquisition of Rendon in the batting order will significantly improve this team\u2019s fundamentals and beef up the offense, which could be enough for 90 wins in an American League in which the Boston Red Sox probably won\u2019t be very good, and in which a lot of bad teams exist. The Angels might not win most games against the Astros or Athletics, but if they pound the bad teams, they can still walk away with 90 wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Angels will fall near .500 at 81-81. The pitching is still not elite on this team. Teheran and Bundy are serviceable pitchers, but not high-end stars who will carry the Halos past the better rotations of the Astros and Athletics. Maddon is a good manager, but he ran into problems in Chicago because his bullpen options were very erratic. He might face a similar obstacle in Anaheim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get the latest MLB baseball odds and information–follow BetOnline.ag on Twitter<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TO WIN AL PENNANT: +1000
REGULAR SEASON WIN TOTAL: 85.5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nOFFSEASON CHANGES<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
IF THINGS GO RIGHT\u2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
IF THINGS GO WRONG\u2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n