Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Angels must improve in several areas if they want the playoffs to be a reality in 2014. The good news is there are plenty of talented players located throughout the roster that will be enough to improve internally. With that being said, the Angels must also upgrade the starting rotation if they want to get over the hump.
“Obviously, we’re on the lookout for it,” Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said, according to Angels.com. “But there aren’t many ways to access that type of talent. You draft it, develop it, wait. That’s the most tried and true and sure method to acquire that type of pitcher or potential impact. Obviously, the other way is via trade, because those aren’t guys that pop up on waiver wires, they’re not guys who pop up on six-year free-agency lists, etc.”
Los Angeles definitely has the talent to trade in order to acquire a solid starter. On the other hand, the same talent is the reason for optimism going forward. It is a difficult decision that Dipoto will have to make over the next couple of months.
Obviously, free agency is another route to go. However, the chances of finding a top-notch starter for a cheap price in the weak free agency market are not good. For that reason, making a trade is the best bet for the Angels.
Who is expendable and who must stay is something that will have to be determined soon. The reason for that is because Los Angeles needs to know which direction they are going to go in order to tweak the roster.
