The Angels have had problems at 2nd base ever since they traded Howie Kendrick. They have a fantastic shortstop in Andrelton Simmons and they need a 2nd baseman in order to solidify the defense up the middle and have 2 major bats as threats. There is not much in the 2nd base market for free agents so I expect the Angels to look for a trade either in winter meetings or before the trade deadline.

To be fair, the Angels have good starting pitching, they just have been unable to stay healthy. There are a lot of veteran starting pitchers on the market and it depends on what the Angels are looking for. The Angels have a pitcher’s park, so pitchers should want to go there. I could see them making an offer to Jake Arrieta. I could also see them going after Jaime Garcia for some depth. Again, look for a trade with the number of bats that they could move.

The Angels have had one of the worst, if not the worst, farm system in all of Major League Baseball. If they want to be equipped for the future, they have to start making trades for some prospects and other young talent.

With Mike Trout, Kole Calhoun, Albert Pujols, and Justin Upton, the offense is there. The Angels just need to get solid starting pitching and the lineup needs to stay healthy to make a push for the postseason.