After missing the playoffs in 2015 despite having arguably the best all-around player in the sport, the Angels could be prepared to do some heavy lifting this offseason to give Mike Trout some help.
Trout put up yet another AL MVP caliber season, slashing .299/.402/.590 while ranking tied for fourth in the majors with 41 homers and driving in 90 RBIs. The 2014 MVP teamed with the resurgent Albert Pujols to give the Angels quite the punch in the middle of the lineup, but it wasn't enough to lift Los Angeles to its second straight playoff berth.
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Pujols isn't what he used to be, but he mashed 40 homers, reaching that plateau for the first time since 2010 (42). However, even the hulking power of the three-time World Series champion and one of the game's brightest young stars couldn't get the Angels over the hump.
Los Angeles won 87 games this season, but the club went from a first place finish in 2014 to wrapping up the 2015 campaign in third place and missed the postseason for the fourth time in five years. The club is looking to win now with Trout in his prime and Pujols entering the twilight of his career.
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This offseason will go a long way in making sure that happens.
One area of concern for L.A. entering this offseason is left field. This is a good year to have that problem as the free agent market is littered with quality outfielders, headlined by Yoenis Cespedes. You know, the guy who almost single handedly propelled the Mets offense out of mediocrity and into the franchise's first World Series in 15 years.
Cespedes (18 homers, 67 RBIs) was absolutely killing it for the Tigers when they dealt him to New York at the deadline. The two-time Home Run Derby champion was a God send for the Amazin's, launching 17 homers after the trade and knocking in 44 RBIs in 57 games as a Met.
Los Angeles is tied to Pujols through 2021, so surrounding him with Trout and Cespedes offers amazing protection for an aging slugger coming off a 40-homer season. The main concern for the Angels would be how much money is already tied up to other aging players and with Cespedes on the wrong side of 30, it could lead to Los Angeles being cautious.
Still, Cespedes showed he has what it takes to shine in a huge market when he was in New York, and a lineup of Trout, Pujols and Cespedes is a jaw-dropper.
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