November 4, 2026 - Written by Cade Lalim
Is Luis Arráez a good fit for the Angels? https://t.co/wfkgFgRkyn
— SleeperAngels (@SleeperAngels) October 31, 2026
As the offseason kicks into gear, it’s time to lay out some potential free agent targets for the Los Angeles Angels. Even though it was announced that the franchise would be sold to Stan Kroenke, a flashy offseason still likely remains off the table for the Angels.
Most would assume that a new owner means that they'll splurge on free agents this winter, but you have to take into account where the Angels finished in the standings this past season. They wrapped up their 2026 campaign placing fifth in the American League West with a poor 62-100 record.
It was the first time in franchise history that the Angels lost 100 games in a single season.
All that being said, it’s not in the team’s best interest to go out and spend big on free agents. This team is still a few years away from being competitive, with a ton of things yet to be fixed.
Instead of chasing big-name free agents like Tarik Skubal, Michael King, Seiya Suzuki, Randy Arozarena, Shota Imanaga, Brandon Lowe, and many more, they should instead spend their time investing in middle-tier free agents.
Besides the starting rotation, which was a surprising bright spot for the Angels in 2026, the team lacked basically everywhere else on the field.
Their offense ranked 27th in batting average and 30th in OPS. The bullpen’s ERA ranked 24th and their WHIP ranked 23rd, while the Angels' fielding was not good at all, ranking 25th in defensive runs saved, 28th in outs above average, and 28th in fielding run value.
To say the least, the Angels could use positional upgrades across the board. Here are three solid free agents they could pursue without taking a massive blow to the checkbook. One for each of the lineup, rotation, and bullpen.
Luis Arraez (2B)
Role: Everyday player who can hit for average and get on base. Second base, first base, and designated hitter are possible position options.
The ability to get on base and hit for average has been one of the factors constantly weighing down the Angels' offense in recent years. They’ve become too reliant on the home run for run production while striking out at very unhealthy amounts.
Adding Luis Arraez over the offseason could certainly help dampen those deficiencies moving forward.
He could be the perfect target for the Angels, being a former three-time batting title winner while owning a career .316 batting average across eight major league seasons. Arraez also owns a very respectable .360 career on-base clip.
You may be wondering where he fits in the Angels' lineup, and the answer is that there are multiple spots he could slide into.
The most obvious would be for Arraez to take over second base full-time, which would currently be occupied by Vaughn Grissom or Christian Moore. He could also float around between first base and designated hitter when needed.
According to Spotrac, he is estimated to earn an annual average value of $18 million in his next contract. It looks like an overpay for a player who mainly slaps singles, but for an Angels offense that desperately needs better bat-to-ball skills, he might be worth the money.
Clay Holmes (RHP)
Role: Top-of-the-rotation arm being slotted into one of the top three spots.
Moving on to a potential starting rotation target, Clay Holmes could do just the trick. While he’s not an ace, he’s proven to be a very reliable starting option across the last two seasons.
You may be thinking, why has Holmes only been dependable over the last two seasons? That’s because he primarily served as a reliever from 2018 to 2024, before being converted into a full-time starter in 2025 during his first year with the New York Mets.
Between the four starts Holmes made back in his 2018 rookie campaign and the 49 he totaled over the last two years between the Mets and Cubs, he owns a 3.73 ERA and 1.32 WHIP across 277.1 innings of work.
Furthermore, in his first pair of full seasons as a starter, Holmes has shown himself to be a very valuable asset. In 2025, he was worth a total of 13 pitching run value (85th percentile), while this year he was worth an even better 15 run value (87th percentile).
If the Angels do decide to pull the trigger on Holmes, again looking at Spotrac, he’s projected to be valued at a very modest $13.8 million per season, making him an even better target for the organization given his recent production.
Jonathan Loáisiga (RHP)
Role: High-leverage reliever used in close and late-game scenarios.
Finally, onto an under-the-radar free agent bullpen target: Jonathan Loáisiga.
He is one of the best relievers in this year’s free agent class and was part of an elite Diamondbacks bullpen this past season.
Loáisiga, 32, is coming off the best season of his career, being valued at 1.7 bWAR. He also racked up a boatload of innings. Across 67 games while logging 67 innings, he pitched to an excellent 2.42 ERA and 1.03 WHIP.
In terms of pitch mix, Loáisiga’s five-pitch arsenal is headlined by his 97.9 mph sinker, which he turned to 35% of the time in 2026. It was his best pitch, earning 10 run value, hence why batters only managed a .242 batting average and .246 xwOBA against the offering.
He supplemented his power sinker with a changeup (27%), four-seam fastball (16%), curveball (15%), and cutter (7%). All proved to be above-average offerings and resulted in Loáisiga being worth a total of 16 pitching run value, which placed him in the 89th percentile.
This performance wasn’t a fluke either, as shown by his 2.88 FIP and 3.01 xERA. He also proved to be one of the best in the game in terms of walks (5%), barrels (3.5%), hard-hit rate (31.7%), and groundballs (55.8%). All four metrics ranked in at least the 92nd percentile.
Loáisiga will end up getting a pretty good paycheck for a reliever, being projected at $7.9 million per season, but he’d be a great secondary option to the likes of David Bednar, Gregory Soto, Emilio Pagán, Adrián Morejón, or Raisel Iglesias.
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