Although the MLB Winter meetings in Orlando have concluded and various free-agent signings were made, there are many “big-fish” free agents who have remained unsigned. This is one of the slower MLB off seasons in recent years, and the lack of signings signals that practically every MLB team still has needs that must be addressed during the offseason, especially in the American League. This article will address the biggest needs for every MLB team in the American League, which consists of the AL West, AL East and AL Central.
It should be noted that the topics talked about in this article are true at the time when the article is being written, meaning that any offseason need may already be fulfilled, and suggested free agents may already be signed by the time the article is published.
AL East
Toronto Blue Jays – Re-sign SS Bo Bichette, trade SP José Berríos
The Toronto Blue Jays, following their World Series run during the 2025 Postseason, have recently decided to splurge and have greatly improved their team with recent free-agent signings, though a few of their current contracts may weigh the team down in 2026.
With the signings of starting pitchers Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce, and relief pitcher Tyler Rogers, it is safe to say that the Blue Jays’ rotation and bullpen seem to be set in stone for the 2026 season. However, the recent signing of these starters means that a rotation crunch is imminent, which leaves 31-year-old José Berríos and 29-year-old Bowden Francis with far fewer options than they had before the signings of Cease and Ponce.
The Blue Jays have even said that they are open to trading Berríos, although he has an opt-out clause following the 2026 season, where he is guaranteed close to $19 million. However, lingering injuries with his right elbow that saw him land on the injured list in late September might scare away potential suitors, especially given that he may opt out of his contract following next season. This would mean that the trade suitor would give up a decent haul for Berríos and receive little benefit out of it, should he decide to sign with another team.
The final need for the Blue Jays is to re-sign star shortstop Bo Bichette, who recently had an incredible year with Toronto. Bichette is a perfect fit with the Jays and has been with them since 2019. He has proven to be an extremely valuable asset on offense, especially in high-leverage situations like Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, where he hit a 3-run home run against Shohei Ohtani. Excluding his injury-ridden 2024, Bichette has not had a batting average lower than .290 or an OPS lower than .802 in a season, and has an offensive profile that would benefit any team, especially the Blue Jays. Although the recent signing of Kazuma Okamoto may make it more difficult to bring back Bichette, Okamoto is viewed as a super-utility player rather than a starter. So, Bichette could still play shortstop or move to second base if need be. Either way, Toronto must retain his valuable contact skills and overall production.
Even with all of these additions that have been made, there are still additions that have yet to be made. While the Blue Jays are still in the running for Bichette, it is also rumored that they have offered a long-term deal to Kyle Tucker, who is rumored to sign very soon. The Jays will, however, face competition from the Dodgers and Mets, who are also trying to sign Tucker, but instead have opted for short-term, high AAV deals.
The Blue Jays led the MLB in runs scored with Runners in Scoring Position, or RISP, and retaining Bichette would certainly help keep the Blue Jays’ offense strong.
New York Yankees – Re-sign Cody Bellinger, sign Kyle Tucker
The Yankees are, on paper, a very good team except for one crucial area—their offense. Although sluggers like 2024/2025 AL MVP Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Jazz Chisholm Jr. have consistently been great offensive pieces for the team, the Yankees cannot leave it to these few pieces to make a good offense. Their offense is lackluster to say the least, and retaining key offensive producers like Cody Bellinger would greatly benefit the team.
Bellinger played extremely well in the Bronx, slashing .272/.334/.480, hitting 29 home runs, and stealing 13 bases. To retain Bellinger would be in the best interest of the Yankees, albeit challenging given that Bellinger’s agent, Scott Boras, is pushing for teams to sign Bellinger to a long-term, high AAV contract.
Kyle Tucker is also an interesting case, as he is also represented by Scott Boras and is seeking a deal of at least 10 years, likely over $400M. This is a contract that the Yankees can certainly afford given the deep pockets of general manager Brian Cashman, and would likely benefit the team given Tucker’s consistent production over the years with the Astros and Cubs.
Pitching is not as much of a concern, as the Yankees have plenty of young talent and starting pitchers coming off the injured list, such as 2023 Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, who will make the rotation more durable and effective. Despite their solid rotation and above average bullpen, the Yankees may be interested in signing Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai, and may want to keep adding to their bullpen. The 2026 bullpen will depend on the Yankees various trade acquisitions in Jake Bird, David Bednar and Camilo Doval, as well as good health for all of these players if the Yankees want to keep things stable.
Boston Red Sox – Extend Roman Anthony, sign Bo Bichette
The Boston Red Sox going into 2026 are an incredible team on paper, with a stacked rotation led by Cy Young candidate Garret Crochet, along with Tanner Houck, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello and newly signed Ranger Suárez, who was just locked up by Boston on a 5-year contract. The Red Sox have a lot of other starter options they could potentially use such as Kyle Harrison, acquired from the Rafael Devers trade, Payton Tolle, and Patrick Sandoval, who is coming off of Tommy John surgery. The Red Sox have a stacked rotation along with other arms that could fill spots in the case of injuries, and is built for years to come.
Boston also has an incredible lineup with key offensive contributors like Trevor Story, Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, Triston Casas and newly acquired first baseman Willson Contreras. The Red Sox do not necessarily have holes that they need to fill—they have a contending team, but the Red Sox must make sure to keep this core intact and keep building on it if they want to maintain their success.
Just as the Red Sox extended utilityman Kristian Campbell earlier in the 2025 season, they have the power to do the exact same thing with young star Roman Anthony, who is a star in the Red Sox lineup and will certainly contribute to the team in the years to come. The floor and ceiling for Anthony will never be this low, especially given that all we have seen from Anthony is a half-season worth of playing time. The Red Sox should capitalize on this opportunity and extend Anthony.
Another way Boston could improve their team is to sign Bo Bichette, especially after the they lost Alex Bregman to the Cubs in free agency. Bichette could help fill the second base position while Trevor Story maintains his position at shortstop, and one of the Red Sox’ second basemen could then be moved to the vacant third base. The Red Sox could consider giving some of their younger guys like Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell a starting role at the position, or they could platoon these players and have them play the position interchangeably.
The Red Sox must find a viable solution to replace Bregman’s production, where he posted a .273/.360/.462 slash line, and was also a defensive upgrade at third base over now-traded Rafael Devers, fielding to three Outs Above Average. The Red Sox, had they not traded Devers, would now have to try to scramble to find a replacement for Bregman. Bregman and Devers clashed over who would start at the position during Spring Training, before the 2025 season, but now the Red Sox have neither of those players.
Tampa Bay Rays – Continue the rebuild
The Tampa Bay Rays looked somewhat competitive last season, but now have decided to take the rebuild route, where they have traded starting pitcher Shane Baz and declined their player option on closer Pete Fairbanks, making him a free agent.
However, the future is not necessarily bleak for the Rays. Even though they are in rebuild mode, the Rays are not that bad of a team on paper. Two of their breakout stars, Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero, made the team fun to watch. They also have a bunch of young depth surrounding them that will likely only continue to improve as the 2026 and 2027 seasons progress.
The Rays also still have a lot of good pitching depth, especially with their star pitcher Shane McClanahan coming off the injured list. McClanahan is surrounded by established starters Ryan Pepiot and Drew Rasmussen, as well as other rotation options in Ian Seymour, Joe Boyle, Jesse Scholtens, Yoendrys Gomez and newly acquired Steven Matz. The Rays’ pitching lab has typically been very above average, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see their rotation options end up being great in starting roles. Their bullpen is also in good shape, having acquired Griffin Jax from the Twins in 2025 via trade, and having a bunch of solid options behind him—although it could never hurt to add.
All this being said, the Rays should continue to rebuild, let their young guys play, and trade whatever contracts they can, especially their 1-year deals. The Rays have been doing this, as they just recently signed former Orioles star Cedric Mullins to a 1-year deal. He had a rough season split between the Orioles and Mets last season, and if he can rebound, the Rays will almost certainly look to trade him to a contender for a decent haul. The Rays should continue to make these types of deals and trade those contracts.
The Rays should also consider trading veteran 34 year-old veteran slugger Yandy Díaz if they end up not being competitive mid-way through the season, although Díaz could certainly help in making the team competitive in its current state. Díaz recently came off of an incredible year, slashing .300/366/.482 and crushing a career-high 25 home runs. Díaz could generate significant trade value, and would probably be wise for the Rays to move him, given that he only has one year left on his contract.
Baltimore Orioles – Acquire rotation depth
The current Baltimore Orioles team is a much different team than it was during the 2025 season. The Orioles shocked the league (and definitely me) by signing longtime Mets first baseman Pete Alonso to a 5-year deal worth $155 million, setting a record for the highest average annual value, or AAV, of a first baseman. This comes as a shock to most, given the Orioles’ typical reluctance to spend, with this being the second-biggest financial commitment made to a free agent next to Chris Davis’ contract in 2016.
They also just acquired former Angels left fielder Taylor Ward, who will also make an incredible addition to the lineup, although 2026 will be his walk year. Ward slashed .228/.317/.475 in 2025, crushing 36 home runs. Ward also did something that many hitters are now unable to do, which is stay consistent throughout the season. He started the season with underwhelming offensive numbers in March and April, but batted to above a .742 OPS for the rest of the season. The only caveat to the addition of Ward is that the Orioles traded away 26-year old starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez, who last pitched in 2024, but has put up good numbers and would have been a valuable part of the 2026 Orioles rotation.
That being said, the rotation probably needs some reinforcements, as in the previous year, the rotation has been very vulnerable to injuries. Zach Eflin just recently had lower back problems, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells had alternative UCL surgeries in 2024 that could (and likely will) resurface in 2026, and Cade Povich had hip problems. These are injuries that must be prepared for. Either the Orioles could take a gamble and allow their young guys to fill a rotation spot (even though it is clear that they need development), or they could go to the market to acquire a starter who can reinforce the rotation in the case of injuries.
That being said, the Orioles still have a solid rotation. They just acquired Shane Baz, who definitely reinforces the rotation, as well as breakout starter Trevor Rogers, who had a staggering 1.81 ERA in 109.2 innings in 2025. Dean Kremer is also solid at the back end of the rotation and has consistently pitched to a low 4.00 ERA, which is solid considering the offensive depth that the Orioles have.
The Orioles also have a very good bullpen, especially with the additions of Ryan Helsley and Andrew Kittredge, which puts the O’s in a great position to contend in 2026.
AL Central
Cleveland Guardians – Acquire right-handed hitters, re-sign Jakob Junis
The 2025 Cleveland Guardians were an absolute anomaly. They chose to be more of sellers than buyers by the trade deadline and had practically given up aspirations at contention for the season. The result? They had an incredible second half of the season, one that simply cannot be explained by numbers and statistics.
That being said, the same luck that the 2025 Guardians squad had may not repeat in 2026—there is a lot of work to do.
First off, the Guardians must acquire right-handed hitters. Most of their lineup consists of lefties, which is less than ideal for trying to hit against left-handed pitching. Cleveland has a few switch-hitters, but the only distinctly right-handed hitters are Johnathan Rodríguez, David Fry, Gabriel Arias, and…Austin Hedges. That selection of hitters speaks for itself, and the Guards must acquire some depth, either through their prospects and minor league deals or through major league deals. One potential target could be utility outfielder Austin Slater, whose primary role during his time with the San Francisco Giants was to hit against lefties. Even last season, split among time with the White Sox and Yankees, he hit decently against lefties in 85 at-bats, slashing .224/.290/.435 with five home runs. His asking price will likely be very low, and the Guardians should consider signing him.
Cleveland should also look into acquiring rotation depth, one of the main factors that carried them down the stretch to the postseason. Their rotation is solid as is, but could use a backup or two to fortify it. Something the Guardians could consider doing is re-signing relief pitcher Jakob Junis and potentially using him as a swingman if needed. He started six games in 2024, one for the Brewers and five for the Reds, and pitched pretty well in those starts. Having relievers with the ability to start games is becoming increasingly hard to come by, and the Guardians could certainly use that with their lack of depth.
The Guards could alternatively call up minor-league starting pitcher Austin Peterson, who is currently on their 40-man roster, although it is unclear how he will perform during Spring Training and how he will perform jumping from AAA to the Majors. Because of these uncertainties, it’s best that Cleveland signs at least one starter or swingman-type pitcher.
Detroit Tigers – Extend Tarik Skubal, sign a starter to a short-term deal
The Detroit Tigers are a very solid team heading into 2026, especially coming off of back-to-back postseason appearances in 2024 and 2025. However, the Tigers, like other teams, have a few issues to be resolved, mainly the rotation.
The Tigers’ offensive lineup is looking very solid, consisting of Spencer Torkelson, Gleyber Torres, Zach McKinstry, Colt Keith, Kerry Carpenter and Parker Meadows, among others. Former Cubs World Series Champion Javier Báez also had a great season with the Tigers, being named an All-Star. Up until 2025, Báez’s contract was viewed as a disaster, where Báez was being overpaid to put up terrible production, where he hit for only .184/.221/.294 in 2024, and was worth -1.1 WAR. Báez was also very productive in Detroit’s 2025 postseason run, leaving a good sign for how he will perform in 2026. The Tigers were in the running to sign Alex Bregman, and it had been rumored so since the conclusion of the 2024 season, but he has since signed with the Chicago Cubs on a 5-year, $175 million deal.
The Tigers, despite having made the postseason in 2025, had a mid-season collapse where they had a major problem—finding effective inning eaters. At the deadline, the Tigers traded for now-retired Orioles starter Charlie Morton and Twins starter Chris Paddack, although Morton was Designated for Assignment with a week left in the season, and Paddack was moved to the bullpen. Both of those additions had lackluster and uncompetitive numbers that actively hurt the team. These were rather desperate additions, especially after losing promising starter Jackson Jobe to Tommy John surgery in June.
That being said, the Tigers should look to prevent this type of collapse by fortifying the rotation in the offseason. If they are looking for cheap options, they should consider re-signing Paddack, or maybe even reunite with former Tigers Justin Verlander and/or Max Scherzer.
Although the Tigers should definitely prioritize getting more arms to help the team win down the stretch, they have a bigger issue to prioritize—retaining their 2024 and 2025 AL Cy Young winner and dominant ace Tarik Skubal. Skubal is reportedly seeking a contract of about $400 million, and there is a sizable gap in negotiations between Skubal’s agent Scott Boras and the team. Skubal gets fans into their seats and provides a much better chance at winning every time he starts a game—he is everything a team could want in a starting pitcher. He can pitch a lot of innings, has proven to be very durable, has an extremely high K/9 (strikeouts per nine innings) rate, and he also loves the city of Detroit and has expressed his desire to stay with the Tigers.
The Tigers’ investment in Skubal would almost certainly be worth it, and they should give him the money that he wants and deserves, as it would be mutually beneficial for both parties.
Minnesota Twins – Trade Joe Ryan and Pablo López, continue rebuilding
The Twins had one of the most explosive team sales ever seen in Major League Baseball before the trade deadline in 2025. This occurrence can be attributed to a number of factors. First is that the Twins realized that they would not be a competitive team in 2025, and decided to sell. Second is that the Twins ownership group currently has significant financial liabilities, so much so that they sold part of the team to help alleviate their $500 million debt. The Twins were able to erase a good chunk of this debt by trading many of their expensive contracts, mainly that of shortstop Carlos Correa, who was traded back to the Astros.
That being said, the Twins were smart to trade away Correa’s contract, which has already aged poorly, as well as their short-term deals, which would have been useless not to trade, considering that the team was uncompetitive. These trades allowed the Twins to build their farm system back up with their newly acquired prospect hauls, and at the same time were able to help Minnesota alleviate its debt situation.
That being said, the Twins should continue to sign short-term contracts to trade, although with their current financial situation, it would be best for them to stick to minor league contracts rather than major league ones. Minnesota should also try to continue with their trend of trading away their contracts while the team is uncompetitive, so they can focus on the future, and trading Joe Ryan and Pablo López would certainly help bring in prospects that would play a big part in the team’s future. Other than those two, the Twins have significant rotation depth that they could also use as capital to fulfill other needs of the team, such as Taj Bradley, Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson and Zebby Matthews. If the Twins can get a good return for them during the offseason, they should, by all means, trade them. But some pitchers like Bradley and Ober have had down years, so if they pitch well in the first half of 2026, the Twins could squeeze more value out of those deals if they deal those pitchers before the trade deadline. Teams are desperate for starters, and Minnesota should try to take advantage of this desperation by trading the competitive starters that they have.
Chicago White Sox – Continue the rebuild, sign 1-year deals to trade at the deadline
The White Sox’ rebuild is turning out quite nicely, and it has already been made abundantly clear based on Chicago’s 2025 campaign that this is not the same 2024 team that posted the worst W/L record in modern MLB history. The team is now absolutely loaded with young talent, both from Chicago’s farm system and the return they received from trading reliever-turned-starter Garret Crochet to the Boston Red Sox.
The White Sox’s young core of Luis Robert Jr., newly added Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, Kyle Teel, Colson Montgomery and Lenyn Sosa is a very solid core that makes the team’s future look extremely bright, certainly much better than the dark days of the 2024 season.
With that being said, the White Sox shouldn’t start handing out big contracts to players to try to become competitive now—they should hold off and let their young core develop more before splurging on free agents, as they shouldn’t want to pay free agents significant amounts of money while their team is uncompetitive.
Instead, the White Sox should continue to rebuild and sign short-term contracts to trade, as they did with Tommy Pham and Paul DeJong in 2024, and with Austin Slater and Adrian Houser in 2025. Although the Sox would benefit from trading basically any short-term contract, they should seek to bolster their bullpen through these deals. Potential targets could include Ryan Brasier, Evan Phillips, Josh Sborz, Paul Sewald, Hunter Strickland, or a reunion with Miguel Castro and/or Liam Hendriks.
AL West
Seattle Mariners – Re-Sign Eugenio Suárez, add a bat, reinforce the bullpen
The Mariners won the AL West Division title in 2025, the first time they had done so since 2001, and will look to build on that success. As things stand, the Mariners are a good team on paper, especially after re-signing Josh Naylor to a 5-year deal. However, if they want to maintain this competitiveness, Seattle must try to re-sign Eugenio Suárez and replace the production that Jorge Polanco gave at second base.
The Mariners’ pitching staff, especially their rotation, is one of the best in baseball, where all of their starters would be No.1 starters or No.2 starters in most other rotations in the league. However, as seen during their 2024 season, these pitchers need significant run support if the Mariners want to win the division, let alone return to the playoffs. Re-signing Eugenio Suárez can definitely fulfill this need—his slugging power combined with the offensive profiles of Cal Raleigh, Naylor, J.P. Crawford, Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodríguez would keep the offense competitive in 2026.
Furthermore, although the Mariners’ rotation on its own is great, Seattle’s bullpen needs a little bit of work. The Mariners have a few relievers on the current depth chart who have an ERA above 3.90, which is less than ideal for any bullpen. Although there are many fewer options on the market than there were at the beginning of the offseason, the Mariners could try to sign Taylor Rogers, Craig Kimbrel or Shelby Miller. Those are all effective options, with Rogers likely being the most expensive option, and Kimbrel being a good, budget option given his age.
Houston Astros – Sign a starter, establish a second baseman
The Astros are looking to contend in 2026, although they just came off a season where they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Currently, it is unclear what the Astros’ rotation will be for 2026. The Astros have a lot of pitchers with starting capabilities, but a lot of them ended up getting moved to the bullpen, especially last season. It will be difficult for the Astros to find consistency in their rotation for 2026, and although they just added NPB All-Star Tatsuya Imai on a 3-year deal, signing another starter to help fortify the rotation would bring much-needed stability to the rotation. Houston could opt for re-signing ace Framber Valdez, although it looks increasingly unlikely that this will happen due to his asking price.
Moving on to the lineup, it appears to be competitive for 2026, spearheaded by Jeremy Peña, Isaac Paredes, Jose Altuve and Yordan Álvarez. There are no additions that need to be made; rather, the Astros must establish who they want to play second base. Before the 2025 trade deadline, the Astros traded for Carlos Correa so he could play third base for Paredes, who was injured at the time. Now that both are healthy, it is uncertain who will play second base. For many years, it was Jose Altuve, although Houston still seems undecided on whether they will keep him at second or move him back into left field. They could move Correa to second base and keep Paredes at third base, although it could very well be that they decide to swap the roles or trade one of the two, and it has been rumored that Isaac Paredes has received a lot of trade interest.
Texas Rangers – Acquire pitching depth
The Rangers’ 2025 season was an extremely unlucky one. The 2023 World Series Champions have not made the playoffs since their 2023 playoff run, but have made it clear that they are looking to return in 2026.
Texas’s pitching staff will be a top priority for the Rangers in the offseason, as stated by president of baseball operations Chris Young. Since the offseason starter, the Rangers have bolstered their bullpen depth by adding Zak Kent, Alexis Diaz, Tyler Alexander and re-signing Chris Martin. The bullpen is solid, but the rotation still looks uncertain. As of now, there are guaranteed rotation spots that will go to Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom and Jack Leiter, but the other rotation spots are unclear. The No.4 spot will seemingly go to Kumar Rocker, but the No.5 spot is uncertain. The Rangers could call upon their young starters to fill the spot and provide depth, although it certainly seems like a gamble.
Texas had rotation problems last season, thus deciding to sign known innings-eater Patrick Corbin to a 1-year deal. Corbin produced well for the club, given his age and his previous horrendous seasons with the Washington Nationals, and the Rangers could potentially look to bring him back. The Rangers had some of the best overall pitching in the MLB last season, largely due to coaching, so it would not be a surprise if the Rangers search the market for lower-budget options and then try to squeeze value out of those signings.
The lineup could use another bat or two, although the lineup looks set for 2026. The Rangers will look for more production out of DH Joc Pederson, who had a massive down year last year, batting .181/.285/.328. However, underlying metrics predict that Pederson will be much more productive this year, especially considering that he is now healthy as opposed to last season. The Rangers will also benefit from the offensive profile of Brandon Nimmo, who was traded for Marcus Semien. Nimmo has been a much more productive hitter than Semien has for the past two years, although it remains to be seen how losing Semien’s elite glove and defense will impact the team, specifically the pitching staff.
*Oakland* Athletics – Acquire pitching depth
The Oakland/Sacramento/Las Vegas Athletics are finally starting to look like a competitive team, especially after breakout years from many of the A’s young players like Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Max Muncy and Tyler Soderstrom. They are also surrounded by Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler, and make for a very competitive offense.
Because the A’s are moving to Las Vegas from Oakland, and are in the process of building their new stadium in Vegas, they are currently playing at Sutter Health Park. Sutter Health Park is located in Sacramento and is the AAA affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Because the A’s are playing in a minor league park and the walls are more closed in, Oakland’s (yes, Oakland’s) pitching staff has suffered as a result.
In 2025, the Athletics did not have a single qualified starter who had an ERA under 4.00. Looking at each starter’s splits for the 2025 season, it is apparent that every starter performed much better during away games than during home games. For example, Luis Severino, who signed the largest free-agent contract in the Athletics’ franchise’s history, had a 6.01 ERA at home in 82.1 innings and a 3.02 ERA in 80.1 innings on the road. Although on a surface level it may appear that the A’s have a bad rotation, the surface level ERA and other statistics don’t tell the full story.
Although it is not necessarily the starting pitchers’ fault that their numbers are not good, the A’s should try to look to the market for low-budget, sinker-baller options that will generate more ground balls and keep the ball inside the ballpark.
Los Angeles Angels – Acquire a third baseman and a bat
The Angels have finally escaped from a seemingly inescapable trap, that is, Anthony Rendon’s contract. Rendon was an absolute star with the Washington Nationals, but when he signed with the Angels, everything changed. His tenure with the Angels can best be characterized as controversy-filled, injury-marred and lackluster. The Angels have just recently decided to work with Rendon to restructure his contract so that it would free up the payroll. Rendon’s contract will instead be paid out to him over the next few years, giving the Angels significant financial flexibility.
The Angels have not made a trip to the postseason since 2014, but are looking to return in 2026. Although it is unlikely that the Angels will return in 2026, there are several things the Angels could do to try to prepare the team to be competitive.
The first thing the Angels should do is to add a third baseman. That was a role previously filled by Anthony Rendon, but now that he is gone, the Angels will either look to Denzer Guzmán to start at third or they will go to the market. The Angels could very well re-sign Yoán Moncada, who played well for the Angels in 2025, slashing .234/.336/.448 with 12 home runs in 248 at-bats. He would also likely not have a steep asking price, so that makes Moncada even more of a viable option for the Angels. There were also various rumors about Nolan Arenado potentially being traded to the Angels, although that always seemed unlikely given the Angels’ current financial constraints.
Anaheim must also add a bat if they wants to be competitive in 2026. The Halos just recently traded outfielder Taylor Ward to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Grayson Rodriguez, who will be a very valuable piece in the Angels’ rotation in 2026. However, Anaheim is left without one of its major offensive players and must replace his production. Although Anaheim cannot replace his exact production, re-signing Luis Rengifo either to a 1-year or long-term deal would certainly help the lineup, even though his 2025 season was a down year for the 29 year-old.
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Featured Image by Ben Mortimer via Flickr
