You Asked, We Answered: Winter Meetings Hopefuls
December 7, 2025 - Written by Kian Behravan
Closing time 🎶
— MLB (@MLB) December 3, 2025
Kenley Jansen leads all active pitchers with 476 saves! pic.twitter.com/0E3WOK3pmp
Hello Inside Halos Community! We put out an Instagram story asking you guys to list out who you’d want the Angels to acquire during baseball’s busiest time: The Winter Meetings. Let’s just say, you guys had some interesting picks, each more daring than the last. I’m going to go over a few here. Let’s jump right in!
Inside Halos Asked: Who would you like to see on the Angels during the Winter Meetings?
Bring back Kenley and Chafin
I love this one. Bringing back Kenley Jansen and Andrew Chafin would do numbers for the Angels’ bullpen, with the only confusion being whether it’ll be Jansen or Ben Joyce in the closer role. However, Joyce (Labrum Surgery) started throwing again in December and is working towards a healthy recovery, but his availability for opening day (or Spring Training) is not yet confirmed. Kenley posted a 2.59 ERA in his age-37 season with the Halos in 2025, showing that despite his age, he can still deal. I’d say his market value still sits around $10 million, and his age is always a big risk, no matter how good he was, but it would be nice to bring him back to give Joyce one more year to figure things out before being handed that closer spot. Chafin was also incredible for the Angels, as he put up a sub-2 ERA (2.41 season ERA) and struck out 18 in 13.1 innings. After the year he had, Chafin’s value could go up. He signed a $1 million deal in May, so his 2026 value could either stay the same or jump to $1.5 million. Both of these guys were great for the bullpen last season, and I have high confidence that they’d perform in 2026 as well.
Sign Zac Gallen
Zac Gallen has been a core hopeful for Angels fans all offseason. It was the most frequent answer, too. The Angels are still in need of a frontline starter, and, despite an off year, Gallen is just that. Gallen posted an ERA just under five last season while putting up just an 89 ERA+. However, he pitched 192 innings, and a workhorse is just what the Angels need. I guess that Gallen wasn't great last season due to hamstring issues in 2024, which he addressed by fixing his mechanics. It seemed that they weren't working, and he’s likely polishing them this offseason. A deal like this will be costly, making it a medium-risk, high-reward proposition. The Angels would have to invest more than $100 million over multiple years for something like this to work. With the Anthony Rendon contract almost up, deferrals could play a huge part with this contract and many others, with all the extra money being made available next year.
Shifting gears: Bohm or Belli?
I’m not fond of an Alec Bohm acquisition because the Angels no longer have Taylor Ward. I spoke about Alec Bohm last year at this time, and one thing I always said was, “Taylor Ward needs to be traded.” Well, he was traded, just not for Bohm. Cody Bellinger is a name that I’ve seen get thrown around as well. With Ward gone, there’s a hole in the outfield. With Mike Trout at DH and the depth chart looking bleak, a strong outfielder would be great. It’s another large contract, though, and if the Halos signed him and Gallen, I have a feeling that’s the extent of what the organization will do.
Isaiah Kiner-Falefa
IKF didn’t come up a lot, which was a surprise. He’s a singles-hitter utility player who you can have faith in during clutch situations. He’s played every position, save for first base, in his career. A guy who also has catching experience would make for a great third-string catcher while also being able to play six other positions in case he’s needed. His gold-glove caliber defense is just what this team needs in 2026. A 2-year contract with an opt-out could be the move, and if he performs well, he’d be a good trade piece at either deadline.
Many of you also asked: International Players?
I’m going to keep this to one word: No. With the way this team is and the changes they have to make, it’s not smart to hand over large sums of money to international free agents, especially with how different baseball is played in Japan and Korea. Munetaka Murakami, the biggest name on the market, has trouble hitting fastballs above 93 MPH. The average fastball velocity in the MLB? 94 MPH, and that’s for all pitchers. Relievers throw significantly faster, making late and close games presumably a struggle for the Japanese Slugger. The only time I’d accept an international free agent is if it’s a relief pitcher. A prime example of an international reliever working out is Yuki Matsui of the Padres. Even though the numbers aren’t quite what they were in Japan, they’re still decent. Overall, now is not the time to consider international free agents.
The Winter Meetings coverage starts today, so be ready for some fun action this week. I’ll be ready with coverage whenever something happens. So stay tuned on the Inside Halos socials!
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