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 -- With free agency beginning at 2 p.m. PT on Monday, things are about to start heating up for the Angels this offseason.

Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani became a free agent on Thursday, joining first baseman C.J. Cron, outfielder Randal Grichuk and infielders Mike Moustakas and Gio Urshela. Ohtani's free agency is the biggest storyline in baseball this winter, and the Angels are one of several clubs interested in signing Ohtani to what is expected to be a record-setting contract.

The Halos will extend him a qualifying offer worth $20.325 million on Monday, which will allow them to receive Draft-pick compensation if he signs elsewhere. But Ohtani will obviously decline that one-year qualifying offer, as he¡¯s seeking a long-term deal -- one that will command much more than $20.325 million annually.

The Angels had an exclusive window to negotiate with Ohtani since his free agency started, but now, all clubs are free to contact him. It remains unclear if the Halos have made any formal offers to Ohtani. His contract could be complicated given his right elbow surgery, as a potential deal could involve opt-outs and incentives related to his pitching performance. It¡¯s something that will be fascinating to monitor, considering no player with Ohtani's Major League track record has ever been a free agent.

The Angels are also likely to announce the hiring of their new manager soon, plus they¡¯re expected to have some changes to their coaching staff, including a search for a new pitching coach. Pitching coach Matt Wise is leaving the organization to join the White Sox¡¯s coaching staff.

General manager Perry Minasian is set to meet with the media this week, when the annual General Managers Meetings take place from Tuesday to Thursday in Scottsdale, Ariz. Ohtani¡¯s agent, Nez Balelo, has also met with the media in the past at the event, so it's possible he could give an update on how Ohtani has been progressing since his September elbow surgery.

Ohtani, the frontrunner to win the AL MVP Award for the second time in three seasons, remains the club¡¯s biggest focus in free agency this offseason, but the Angels have other issues they need to address.

Here¡¯s a look at the other positions they hope to improve this offseason via free agency or trade:

Corner infield
The Angels could use another utility infielder who can play third base given Anthony Rendon¡¯s injury concerns. They are also expected to lean heavily on Nolan Schanuel at first base after his strong showing down the stretch, but he¡¯ll still be a rookie -- and he was just drafted in July. The Halos have Luis Rengifo and Brandon Drury in the middle infield, while David Fletcher also remains in the organization. But adding another infielder to that group would make some sense.

Outfield
The Angels are expected to use a combination of Mike Trout, Taylor Ward, Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell in the outfield, but they could use another veteran in that mix. Trout has had injury concerns in recent years, Ward¡¯s season ended early because of a facial fracture and both Moniak and Adell are inexperienced.

Rotation
The Angels are likely to use a five-man rotation even if they bring back Ohtani, as he won¡¯t pitch in 2024 due to his aforementioned surgery. The club has several internal candidates such as Patrick Sandoval, Reid Detmers, Tyler Anderson, Chase Silseth and Griffin Canning, but it could use at least one more starter to join that group. That said, it¡¯s not a particularly deep group of starting pitchers available in free agency.

Bullpen
The Angels aren¡¯t in the market for a closer, as Carlos Est¨¦vez will return in 2024, but he struggled in the second half of the '23 season. The Halos have a lot of young bullpen arms they really like in Jos¨¦ Soriano, Ben Joyce and Sam Bachman, while Jos¨¦ Quijada and Austin Warren are each set to return from Tommy John surgery. Still, adding a veteran or two could make some sense, much like they did last year with their one-year deal with lefty Matt Moore.