Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian decided against going all out to complete $100 million-plus signings during the free agency period. Instead, Minasian opted for low-risk, high-reward moves to bolster the Angels' depth both at the plate and on the mound.

For one, the Angels came to terms with starting pitcher Tyler Anderson on a three-year, $39 million deal in November.

Anderson is just coming off of the most potent season of his career in the 2022 campaign. He starred in what turned out to be his lone year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, posting career highs across the board, from ERA (2.57) to innings pitched (178.2).

The Angels will enter the 2023 season with plenty of high expectations, especially as they will look to clinch a spot in the postseason for the first time in nine years. Former National League Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy believes that for the Angels to secure a trip to the postseason this year, Anderson must mirror his 2022 season.

“If they're going to punch through, he's going to have another season like this,” Peavy said during a recent appearance on MLB Network’s “MLB Tonight” program.

Anderson’s changeup was a go-to pitch for him in the 2022 campaign. Opposing hitters posted a .179 batting average against his changeup, and the veteran left-hander tallied 60 strikeouts from the pitch.

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In the big picture, the one-time All-Star plans to once again rely on his changeup in crucial pitch counts in the upcoming season.

“I got a few outs with it today without really throwing a good fastball,” Anderson said following his spring training start against the Dodgers on March 3. “A good fastball in a good location sets it up even better. But I think it’s going to be similar [to last year]. Overall, it helped me in a lot of counts [in ‘22].

“But in general, it just felt like I had better stamina last year and kind of had my legs under me a little bit more to kind of stay strong.”

The Angels will open up their 2023 regular season schedule with a combined six straight road matchups against the Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners.