Angels expect to win now under Washington

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ANAHEIM -- It’s been a slow offseason on the transaction front for the Angels so far, but it has been that way for most teams around the league, as there hasn’t been much player movement just yet.

The Angels did sign lefty reliever Adam Kolarek to a one-year deal on Sunday to improve the bullpen, but with the annual Winter Meetings set to start next Monday in Nashville, things should start to heat up. And, of course, the biggest domino that has yet to fall and could be holding up the market is two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who has unsurprisingly kept his free agency a secretive process.

The industry consensus is that Ohtani is expected to sign relatively soon in the offseason, which means he could choose his next team right around the Winter Meetings, much like he did in 2017. That year, he chose to sign with the Angels on Dec. 8, with the Winter Meetings starting on Dec. 10.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian has made it clear that he’d love to re-sign Ohtani and said the plan is to be aggressive this offseason to improve the roster. Ohtani is expected to command the largest contract in MLB history, which could be north of $500 million and surpass Mike Trout’s 12-year deal worth $426.5 million.

Minasian wouldn’t comment on any negotiations with Ohtani or his agent, Nez Balelo, but he said the plan is try to become a winning club under new manager Ron Washington and not rebuild.

“We want to win games,” Minasian said. “The goal hasn’t changed. For me personally, the manager, it's a huge hire and [we will] not take it lightly. And same with the coaching staff. They’re the ones with these players every day. We’re going to be really aggressive this offseason, and we’re going to make this team better.”

Minasian added that he believes the addition of Washington could help them in free agency because Washington is so well-regarded around the league and knows a lot of veteran players.

"I've gotten numerous calls already from people that have played for him, people that know him, who are not only excited for him and his opportunity but wouldn't mind joining the party over here," Minasian said. "That's exciting when you have a manager with that kind of reputation. It draws in players and agents.”

Minasian said bringing in Washington should also spark a change in culture, as both talked about ending the club’s current postseason drought that stretches back to 2014. Washington remarked that he was hired as the manager of the Rangers in 2007 to catch the Angels in the American League West, and now he’s been hired as the manager by the Halos to chase down Texas, the reigning World Series champions.

“I think it's creating an atmosphere when you walk into a field. There's a sense of urgency,” Minasian said. “And I think it's really important to have, day in and day out, a sense of responsibility, an expectation and everybody knows where they stand. Those are all things Wash definitely brings to the table.”