The Los Angeles Angels are arguably one of the most intriguing teams heading into Opening Day in 2023. They have two of the best players in baseball in Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. Of course, they have not been able to figure it out with these two players on the roster, and there might be more pressure now than ever.
There are some questions that the team has to answer internally ahead of Opening Day for a successful Angels 2023 season.
Those questions relate to the stars and the depth of both the lineup and the pitching staff. Baseball fans might be skeptical about the Angels, and it is hard to blame them. However, there are some components that could come together that can result in a successful Angels 2023 season. Let's get into those questions.
Have the Angels added enough depth around Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout?
The Angels added some interesting pieces to their offense and pitching staff this offseason. On offense, they added Hunter Renfroe, Brandon Drury and Gio Urshela. They also added Tyler Anderson to the rotation and relief pitcher Matt Moore.
When looking at the lineup, the additions of Renfroe, Drury and Urshela are intriguing. Renfroe is a perfectly capable defensive right fielder who has produced good offensive seasons two years in a row. Drury is a guy who can play multiple positions and has produced offensively in the last two seasons, just like Renfroe has. Urshela is intriguing as well. He can play a fine third base and fill in at shortstop. He put up good offensive seasons in four of the last five years
The addition of Anderson is one of the biggest of the offseason for the Angels. If he is able to replicate what he did with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he would be a nice number two guy behind Shohei Ohtani in the rotation.
Will Mike Trout stay healthy?
Mike Trout is still as good as he always has been, when he is on the field. Trout is coming off of a season in which he played 119 games according to Fangraphs. He played 36 games the season before. Being at the age of 31 now, this has become a legitimate concern for the Angels and Trout.
The Angels obviously hope to get a fully-healthy season from Trout in 2023, and it is possible, but how much can the Angels depend on that? It is hard to imagine the Angels competing if they lose Trout for significant time. If the Angels are in the race he does go down at some point, they will have to come up with some contingency plans.
Will the rotation hold up?
Because Ohtani is on the roster, the Angels will likely go with a six-man rotation for the 2023 season, as they have in the past. Currently, the rotation should include Ohtani, Anderson, Patrick Sandoval, Jose Suarez and Reid Detmers, with one more arm included.
It will be interesting to see if the rotation holds up. This has been a problem for the Angels in the past, and they have attempted to address it with the Anderson signing. However, the team's starting pitching depth is going to be tested more than any other team.
How will the Angels handle the Shohei Ohtani situation?
The looming question is how the Angels will handle the Shohei Ohtani situation as he approaches free agency. The Angels obviously hope to contend in 2023, and that could play a part in convincing him to stay.
The indication is that the Angels will attempt to re-sign Ohtani, but how realistic is that? If the Angels are out of the race, they should honestly evaluate whether or not they believe that they will be able to keep him in the offseason.
Whatever the Angels do, they should have their plan of action for each scenario mapped out ahead of Opening Day. If the Angels contend, what should they do? If the Angels are out of the race, what should they do? This should all be figured out before the start of the season.
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