A Possible Solution to the Angels 2027 Outfield Puzzle
October 16, 2026 - Written by Cade Lalim
MIKE TROUT CRUSHES ANOTHER HOME RUN 445 FEET 😳 https://t.co/DikJFFhPTa
— MLB (@MLB) April 14, 2026
One of the more compelling storylines surrounding the Los Angeles Angels this offseason is how they’ll decide to address the outfield situation. It’s likely going to look a little different than what we saw this past season.
Heading into the offseason, all six outfielders on the Angels’ current 40-man roster are under contract for next season, including Gustavo Campero, Josh Lowe, Wade Meckler, Jose Siri, Bryce Teodosio and Mike Trout.
Trout is a definite lock to make the roster in 2027, likely the same story goes for Meckler as well, but the status of the other four remain up in the air as it currently stands.
Everyone is probably aware that the Angels lost 100 games for the first time in franchise history, further pointing to the fact that the current roster is not built for contention. Even with Stan Kroenke’s team taking over as the new ownership group, we are still probably a few years away from seeing the Angels back in the Postseason.
Having said that, with the 2027 season in limbo due to the almost-certain lockout, and the fact that the franchise is coming off their first 100-loss season, the Angels organization will likely view next year as a gap year and put together a very similar roster to 2026.
A similar roster means that there’ll likely not be substantial improvements to the outfield, or the roster as a whole. There will be some shuffling and external additions, but an addition of Randy Arozarena, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki to the outfield are likely off the table.
A Realistic 2027 Outfield Plan
The most recent news surrounding the Angels outfield mix is that Trout will be moving to left field moving forward, while also spending more time as the designated hitter. That leaves center field open, assuming that Meckler takes a majority of at-bats as the right fielder.
Although, even Meckler might not be slotted into an every day role. He excelled against right-handed pitching in 2026, posting a .315 batting average and .800 OPS, but really struggled against lefties, owning a .224 batting average and .554 OPS.
That means that the Angels need to find a platoon partner for Meckler and a defensively-sound center fielder.
Let’s start by finding a left-hitting right fielder that the Angels can pair with Meckler in right field. The best and maybe most realistic option would be reuniting with old friend Randal Grichuk, the man who was drafted one pick before Trout during the 2009 draft.
Grichuk, 35, is a veteran of 13 major league seasons, logging time with eight different organizations, including the second half of the 2023 campaign with the Angels after being acquired from the Colorado Rockies.
Over his career, Grichuk has killed left-handed pitching and has asserted himself as a lefty specialist. Looking into his career splits, he owns a .274/.323/.515 slash line against southpaws, spanning 1,850 plate appearances, while putting up a .241/.285/.445 line against righties over 3,263 plate appearances.
Grichuk wouldn’t be a flashy signing, but he does his job and would be a perfect signing for an Angels organization that’s experiencing a lot of change. He can also play left field, and could serve as an important backup for Trout when he serves as the designated hitter or needs a day off.
Essentially, Meckler takes all of the at-bats against righties while Grichuk gets slotted in against lefties. It also gives Trout more of an option to get off his feet in left field.
Now that right field is taken care of, while also establishing a back-up for Trout, it’s time to shift attention back to center field. This is where things could get interesting.
If you’ve been following the Angels farm system for the last few years, you should know that Nelson Rada is about ready to see action at the major league level -- he’s also a center fielder. The only problem is that Rada will likely not be ready to crack the roster right out of the gate.
This opens up the opportunity to sign a veteran to a one-year major league deal, trade him at the mid-summer deadline, and bring up Rada for the second half.
So who could be some logical signing options for center field?
It turns out that this year’s free agent class is full of veteran center fielders who fit the bill for one-year deals. Daulton Varsho, Tyrone Taylor, TJ Friedl and Lane Thomas are all possible options that the Angels could ink to a short-term deal.
What the Angels lacked in center field this year was quality defense, and that’s likely what the front office will target. Teodosio plays stellar center field defense, but his poor offense is weighing him down from being given an everyday opportunity.
Thomas could be an option but his range isn’t quite up to center field standards. It’s now down to Varsho, Taylor and Friedl. We can further make another subtraction by eliminating Friedl from the group.
Friedl has good range, but his arm value and strength ranks around league average. Also, after a strong 2025 season, his offensive output in 2026 was abysmal, making his overall performance very similar to internal option Teodosio.
If the Angels had to choose between one of Varsho and Taylor, it’s honestly a toss-up. They both have had very similar careers with Varsho having seven years in the books while Taylor has completed eight. Varsho owns a career .226 batting average and .709 OPS, while Taylor has posted a career .243 batting average and .721 OPS.
Defensively Varsho has better range while Taylor has a much better arm. Taylor also has the upper-hand on speed, ranking in the 92nd percentile while Varsho ranks in the 49th percentile.
It’s tough to pick one, but either would be a quality option in center field.
Possible 2027 Outfield Mix
LF: Trout (Starter) / Grichuk (Backup)
CF: Varsho or Taylor (Everyday)
RF: Meckler / Grichuk (Platoon)
Let’s just say that Trout, Meckler, Grichuk and the addition of Varsho or Taylor are the four outfielders when the Angels take the field in 2027, that means that Lowe, Siri, Teodosio and Campero wouldn’t be making the roster. Lowe and Siri especially could be non-tender candidates this offseason.
The Angels could certainly spend big this offseason and go down a completely different road than the plan mentioned above, but based on the current situation of the team and where they stand in-terms of contention, the plan outlined above makes a lot of sense.
We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but the outfield mix is certainly a position of interest to pay attention to.
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