The Los Angeles Angels made minor news earlier on Wednesday by acquiring veteran pitcher Dylan Bundy from the Baltimore Orioles.
However, general manager Billy Eppler and Co. are setting their sights on a bigger prize. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Los Angeles has met with AL Cy Young runner-up Gerrit Cole.
This is no small thing. A Southern California native, there’s a decent chance that Cole will return to his roots with either the Angels or Dodgers. In fact, that’s a big concern of the New York Yankees.
It goes without saying that the Angels are in desperate need of an upgrade in the rotation. Adding one of the game’s most successful pitchers would do just that.
Cole, 29, has pitched to a 35-10 record with a 2.68 ERA and 0.96 WHIP while striking out an astounding 602 batters in 412.2 innings over the past two seasons.
For their part, the Angels’ staff posted a 5.28 ERA last season. It represented the 25th-best mark in MLB.