LAS VEGAS — The Angels have a center field issue.
One of the more intriguing topics occupying discussion time for General Manager Perry Minasian and his staff so far this winter is how they want to handle center field next season.
It’s not as clear cut as third base, where the Angels have a gaping hole that needs to be filled by someone.
In center field, the Angels already have an option who looks to be an above-average offensive player (Jo Adell) and they have one who is an elite defensive player (Bryce Teodosio).
They just don’t have anyone who has been even average at both.
Getting someone who is above average at both is difficult, so the Angels are wrestling with whether they’re better off just punting one side of the ball in center field and having more resources for third base and the pitching staff, which is the top priority.
“We’ve got some guys that we feel like are really impact offensive players that can play the outfield,” Minasian said at this week’s GM Meetings. “And we’ve got some other guys that could be impactful on the defensive side, really impactful on the defensive side …
“Do you want to score more runs and play offense? Do you want to prevent more runs and play defense? What are you giving up, vice versa?”
Among free agent center fielders, the two who could do the job at the plate and in the field are Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham. Both are also left-handed hitters, an added plus.
However, Bellinger will cost more than $30 million per year and Grisham will be more than $20 million. Acquiring either would put a serious dent in the budget.
More affordable options like Harrison Bader or Cedric Mullins would at least be offensive upgrades on Teodosio or defensive upgrades on Adell, albeit with limited upside.
If the Angels stick with the outfielders they have, they could play Adell in center, with Taylor Ward in left and Mike Trout and Jorge Soler splitting right field and DH.
Or, they could trade one of Ward or Adell, put the other in left, and have Teodosio in center.
The question underlying all of it is whether Trout or Soler will be healthy enough to play the field at all, which is why Minasian isn’t eager to trade Ward or Adell.
“Not everything works out,” Minasian said. “We’ve seen it over the last couple years. You need as much depth as possible. It’s not just depth. It’s quality. You’re never going to hear me complain about having good players.”
If the Angels do go with Adell or Teodosio in center, they’ll be banking on some improvement.
Adell, 26, hit 37 home runs with a .778 OPS last season. His defensive metrics in center field were poor, but Minasian hasn’t given up on him as a defender.
“Jo’s a worker,” Minasian said. “I think he’s met a lot of challenges that maybe people didn’t necessarily think he’d meet, especially to this point. That’s the wrong guy to doubt, in my opinion.”
Still, Adell’s failure in center was what prompted the Angels to bring up Teodosio, who had never shown much with the bat, even in the minors. Teodosio, 26, was as good as advertised in the field, with numbers ranking him among the best center fielders in baseball for two months. He hit just .203 with a .553 OPS.
“He’s one of those ‘wow’ defenders,” Minasian said. “And I think if you asked the pitchers that were on the team, they’d love to see him play a lot.”
The Angels’ center fielder of the future is still Nelson Rada, a 20-year-old who finished last season at Triple-A. Rada hit .292 with a .758 OPS at Double-A and Triple-A, as one of the youngest players in either league.
“He’ll be in big league camp, and I’m not ruling anything out,” Minasian said. “They don’t check IDs in the dugout. So if you can play and you’re going to help us win games, we’ll take a look.”
CONFIDENCE IN DETMERS
Minasian is confident enough in left-hander Reid Detmers as a starting pitcher that he’s already putting him in the rotation, rather than giving him a shot to earn a spot in spring training.
“He’s in the rotation,” Minasian said. “We’re excited. With young players it takes time for them to settle in and become the player they are going to become. Watching him this season pitch out of the bullpen and the confidence he had, the experiences pitching late in games and crucial situations, I think it’ll only help him become a very, very impactful starter.”
Detmers, 26, has a career 4.90 ERA as a starter, which has included stretches of being very good and very bad. Last season he had a 3.96 ERA out of the bullpen, which included four dominant months after a slow start.
Detmers joins right-hander José Soriano and left-hander Yusei Kikuchi in the rotation, leaving two open spots. The Angels are hoping to fill those spots with veterans who could at least provide a safety net until young pitchers like Caden Dana, George Klassen, Jack Kochanowicz, Mitch Farris or Sam Aldegheri are ready.