The Angels sat at home for the 5th postseason in a row while the Dodgers made it to the postseason on the back of a 7th straight NL West Championship and were among the favorites to win the World Series again. The Dodgers were then shockingly eliminated in the NLDS by the eventual World Series Champion Washington Nationals. Now both teams head into the offseason with questions that need to be addressed to push them over the edge and lead them to a World Series Championship.
The Angels once again did not make the playoffs despite the fact that they have arguably the best player in the game: Mike Trout. They tried to address their most pressing problem, which was pitching in regards to starting and bullpen pitchers. They signed Matt Harvey and Trevor Cahill to one-year-deals, but Harvey was gone by the end of July and Cahill was moved to the bullpen.
They tried to piece together a rotation that had guys returning from injury trying to recapture their skills to help the team. Then one of their best pitchers, Tyler Skaggs, passed away suddenly during the season, and the pitching became too much to overcome. Now, they once again look for starting pitching to help lead them back to the playoffs and get Mike Trout a World Series Championship.
The Dodgers won their 7th straight division championship this past season and they were the odds on favorite to win the World Series this season. They had basically the same pitching rotation and lineup from the year before and were seen as the most complete team in the MLB.
That obviously did not work out, and they were swiftly knocked out of the first round of the playoffs and were left questioning what went wrong and why did they not make to their 3rd straight World Series appearance. With some of their pitchers and other popular players becoming free agents, there is not a better time for the Dodgers to finally get that one arm and that great position player to finally put them over the edge and end a 30-year-plus World Series Championship drought.
The Angels and Dodgers have both addressed that this offseason, they want to go after pitching especially with two of the most popular pitchers in last season’s World Series now being free agents. AL CY Young Runner-Up Gerrit Cole and World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg lead the top pitchers that are free agents and the Angels and Dodgers are both rumored to go after these pitchers. The Angels are seen as the favorite to land Gerrit Cole because he was born and raised in Orange County, but the Dodgers are said to be making a push for him as well.
The Dodgers are seen as the most likely team to sign Strasburg over the Angels but they cannot be ruled out if they do not land Cole. The Angels are also looking at other pitching options via free agency or trade that will give them the edge they need to get back to the playoffs.
The Dodgers are also looking at position players to help strengthen their infield. The Dodgers are rumored to be linked to Nationals player Anthony Rendon who is now a free agent and would give them an elite infield that already has Justin Turner, Corey Seager and Max Muncy. The Dodgers keep looking to upgrade their team, and this offseason could be the make or break time that could push the Dodgers to a championship that has eluded them for over 30 years.
The Angels are looking to build a team around Mike Trout after giving him a 13-year-contract extension last offseason, and they are feeling the pressure to win now and not later. This offseason could change everything for the team located in Anaheim. The MLB offseason comes to an end on Mar. 26 when the 2020 MLB season begins.