Last offseason, the Angels moved Mike Trout out of center field. They hoped that he’s stay healthier as an everyday right fielder after he’d been limited to 82 games or fewer in three of the previous four seasons. Things didn’t go as planned, as Trout suffered a bone bruise in his left knee that cost him almost all of May. He avoided the injured list the rest of the way but was a full-time designated hitter.
Trout didn’t log a single inning in center field. He made 22 starts in right, none after the end of April. Nevertheless, general manager Perry Minasian told reporters this week that the Halos could bounce Trout around the outfield next season. That might include some playing time back up the middle.
“I’m not ruling anything out,” the GM said (link via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com). “We’ll see where the team looks like when we get to Spring Training and what’s in place and what gives us the best chance to win games. (He) might be playing center. One day might be playing left. One day might be DHing.”
As Minasian noted, a lot could depend on what the remainder of the offseason looks like. The Angels entered the winter with a logjam in the corners. That’s not so much the case after they traded Taylor Ward for Grayson Rodriguez. It’d still be ideal to have Trout playing regularly in the outfield again, especially if they want to give Jorge Soler a rebound opportunity.
Soler should be a DH but was forced to start 39 games in right field (with predictably poor results) by Trout’s injury. The Angels gave Jo Adell 724 innings in center field. He was arguably the worst defensive center fielder in MLB and found himself back in right field for the final two months of the season. The best defensive alignment has Trout in left, Adell in right, and Soler at DH.
That requires someone else to step up as the regular center fielder. Bryce Teodosio is an excellent defender, but he’s coming off a .203/.248/.304 showing in 50 games. Kyren Paris and Matthew Lugo picked up a handful of center field starts but didn’t hit well either. They presumably don’t want Trout playing there on an everyday basis.
The Angels are so aggressive with their prospect promotions that it’s probably not out of the question that 20-year-old Nelson Rada gets a chance to break camp. He’s a speedster and potential plus defender who split his age-19 season between Double-A and Triple-A. Rada stole 54 bases and reached base at fantastic .398 clip behind a 12.7% walk rate. He’s a gifted pure hitter but has essentially no power upside in his 5’9″ frame. He hit just two home runs this year and has six longballs in his professional career. Baseball America ranks him the #4 prospect and the top position player talent in a weak Halos’ farm system.
Even if Rada begins the season at Triple-A Salt Lake, it’s likely he’ll be in the majors at some point next season. That could give them enough confidence to patch things together at the position internally. “Do we have to go get a center fielder? Not necessarily,” Minasian said. “We have some players that we believe can fill the position and obviously, Teodosio can play defense at a very high level. It’s more player-specific. … I wouldn’t say it’s a must, but is it an area we’re looking at? Absolutely.”
As is often the case, the center field supply is limited. Harrison Bader is the only regular available in free agency, unless a team feels Cody Bellinger could move back to the position in an everyday capacity. Luis Robert Jr. is a long shot trade possibility. The Astros are shopping Jake Meyers but want MLB starting pitching, which the Angels don’t have in abundance. A role player like Nathan Lukes or Jacob Young come could available but may not move the needle enough for the Halos to prioritize them.
The Angels have various other needs to weigh against their center field situation. They should add a multi-positional infielder who can handle both second and third base. They need at least one starting pitcher and one or two high-leverage relievers, ideally ones who throw from the right side. Minasian confirmed this afternoon that they’re still in the bullpen market after signing Drew Pomeranz and Jordan Romano last night (via Bollinger). An outside addition could push Robert Stephenson and Ben Joyce to succeed Kenley Jansen in the ninth. “There’s no set closer right now. We’re still looking at the bullpen. It’s not an area where we’re done,” Minasian said.