The Los Angeles Angels could be in for a rough rebuild now that they have lost Shohei Ohtani.
He was the best player in baseball for the last three seasons and he has signed with the crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Angels were already mediocre with Ohtani.
Now, they could be fighting an uphill battle just to play .500 ball and avoid last place in the AL West.
They have been making some moves, though.
They have mostly reinforced their bullpen with Adam Cimber, Robert Stephenson, Matt Moore, and Luis Garcia.
Now, they have finally added to their lineup.
“The Angels sign veteran outfielder Aaron Hicks to a one-year deal. He’s still being paid by the Yankees. @JeffFletcherOCR on it,” MLB insider Bob Nightengale tweeted.
The Angels sign veteran outfielder Aaron Hicks to a one-year deal. He’s still being paid by the Yankees. @JeffFletcherOCR on it.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 29, 2024
Hicks has been on the decline for a couple of years now, but still carries some bounce-back potential if he plays every day.
The 2023 campaign started off on the wrong foot for him: the New York Yankees released him and decided to eat nearly $30 million in salary through 2025 after he hit .188/.263/.261 in 28 games.
Then, the Baltimore Orioles “rescued” him and gave him a shot.
He was much better with the O’s, slashing a cool .275/.381/.425 in 65 games with seven home runs and six steals.
However, advanced metrics and stats don’t suggest he is particularly likely to keep that form he showed in Baltimore for an entire season.
Still, he could: it’s a possibility, and even if he doesn’t, he should be a decent stopgap solution as LA tries to find future stars on the position player side.
At the very least, Hicks offer a high-OBP bat who is more than willing to walk and get on base for the rest of the lineup.
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