Angels GM Perry Minasian looks for answers to poor pitching, injuries as he plans for 2022

ANAHEIM — On the first day of the offseason, Perry Minasian said the Angels are about to undergo a thorough review of everything they did in a disappointing 2021, from the way players performed to the way they were coached to the reasons they ended up injured.

The Angels general manager said on Monday it starts with a look in the mirror, though.

Asked if he has been analyzing his own decisions, Minasian said: “Every minute of every day.”

Minasian is less than 11 months into his first run as a major league general manager, and he’s got a 77-85 record to show for it, despite having the likely American League MVP – Shohei Ohtani – on his roster.

Obviously, plenty of other things went wrong, some unforeseeable and some the results of Minasian’s decisions.

“This is my first year doing this, and I am not perfect by any stretch,” Minasian said. “I do not have all the answers. I like listening to other people’s opinions. And I like people’s criticism, to be honest with you. I’m trying to be as good as I can be too.”

The main criticism, of course, is that the Angels didn’t have enough pitching. Their 4.69 ERA ranked 22nd in the majors.

“We understand that the mound is a place where we’d like to significantly improve,” Minasian said. “Not just improve, but significantly improve.”

Minasian said Ohtani, Patrick Sandoval and José Suarez have earned the right to be in the 2022 rotation, but otherwise they are open to who will fill the two or three other holes, as well as the depth spots they’ll need to get through the season.

Manager Joe Maddon – and every Angels fan – has already said the Angels need premium starters.

“Would you like to add frontline starters? Absolutely,” Minasian said. “I’d love to add three, four frontline starters, that would be outstanding. Realistically, that’s really difficult to do.”

How about two?

“Two is difficult too. One is difficult. I think if you asked all 30 teams, every single person in my position would say ‘Yeah, I’d love to find a frontline starter, whether that’s trade or free agency.’ That’s something that’s easier said than done.”

The first question is how much money the Angels will have to spend, and Minasian said he and owner Arte Moreno haven’t yet agreed on the budget. The Angels also don’t yet know what the luxury tax threshold will be because a new collective bargaining agreement is coming in 2022.

In 2021, though, the Angels spent about $180 million on their major league payroll. They currently have five players signed for about $109 million in 2022, with a relatively small arbitration class that is led by catcher Max Stassi and reliever Mike Mayers. All of the Angels’ arbitration-eligible players will likely make less than $10 million total. Figuring another $15 million or so for all the pre-arbitration players, and the Angels could have around $50 million to spend on new players.

The first question they’ll have to address in free agency is whether to extend a qualifying offer to closer Raisel Iglesias, who made just over $9 million in 2021. The deadline for that decision is five days after the World Series. The qualifying offer figure is typically around $19 million. Liam Hendriks, the top closer on last year’s free agent market, signed a three-year contract worth $18 million per year.

Most of the Angels’ money figures to go toward the pitching staff, but they also seemingly need a shortstop. This winter’s free agent shortstop crop is particularly loaded, led by the Dodgers’ Corey Seager, Houston’s Carlos Correa, the New York Mets’ Javy Baez, Toronto’s Marcus Semien and Colorado’s Trevor Story. Minasian also suggested they could stick to an internal option at shortstop.

“(Luis) Rengifo played a really solid shortstop in September, which was really encouraging,” Minasian said. “I think (David) Fletcher has the ability to slide over if we wanted him to. As good as he is at second, he’s very confident he could play a high-level shortstop too.”

Minasian said such internal solutions will be critical around the field, and even on the mound, because the Angels need more than a few acquisitions to become contenders.

“We can go out and make a free agent splash with one guy and ‘win the offseason’ to a certain extent, but there needs to be a lot of internal improvement too,” Minasian said.

Which of course also means the players the Angels already have need to stay on the field. The Angels were crushed by injuries in 2021. Three-time AL MVP Mike Trout and third baseman Anthony Rendon were injured for most of the year, but the Angels had dozens of injuries to significant players all season.

Minasian said looking at the causes of those injuries will be “a significant part of the review.”

“We’ll go through each individual injury,” Minasian said. “What was done the past offseason, who they worked with, what they did in-season, time in the weight room, time in the trainer’s room,” Minasian said. “What their recovery was like. What their routine is. It’s going through each individual player. And it’s not only the guys that were hurt, but the guys that were healthy, and why did they stay healthy? Is there some type of adjustment we can make as an organization to keep guys on the field?”

NOTES

Minasian said right-hander Chris Rodriguez is the only one of the players who finished the season on the injured list who is questionable to be ready for spring training. Rodriguez, who had a strained lat, “could be out for an extended period,” Minasian said, adding that there was no specific setback, but “rehab-wise, it just wasn’t feeling great.” …

The Angels have not yet made decisions on the status of the coaches for next season, Minasian. That will be determined during this week’s reviews. …

Minasian said the Angels have been working on changing their policies with regard to their minor leaguers, but they have “nothing to announce today.”