As the Angels Look To Replace Shohei Ohtani’s Pitching With Blake Snell, Who Will Match His Slugging?

Imagine owning Anaheim’s MLB team and losing out on the brain-melting two-way skills of Shohei Ohtani for the foreseeable future. It’s an insufferable contemplation, isn’t it? That’s exactly what the Los Angeles Angels are being compelled to deal with at present.

As gifted and useful as Shohei Ohtani proved himself to be, his exit left the team looking for both pitching and hitting prospects of his caliber. Per market reports, the team already has its eyes set on an elite pitching prospect in the market. But how will the Halos deal with fixing their offense?

Pitching substitution for the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani conundrum

The Angels have been eyeing Blake Snell as a replacement for Shohei Ohtani’s pitching. With Shotime’s latest ERA of 3.14 in 167 strikeouts over 132 innings, Snell looks like a perfect fit. He racked up a better-than-impressive ERA of 2.25, striking out 234 across 180 innings pitched.

His $200 million predicted offer value will not be a hassle for the team to bear, considering that they’ve had enough inflow of resources during Ohtani’s stay under the banner. The question arises while taking a closer look at their offensive lineup.

Shohei Ohtani racked up an unbelievable WAR of 10.0, in which he hit 44 homers and had an RBI of 95 across 151 hits this season. His hits went for an average of .304, with an OPS of 1.066, leading the MLB regular season in slugging.

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It is tough to find a replacement who is as adept at hitting as Shotime. Right now, there are three sluggers they can go after in the free agency market.

Who are the team’s prospective offensive options?

Currently, Cody Bellinger might be a far-fetched option for the Angels, considering his asking price ranges beyond the $300 million markup. But MLB insider Jeff Fletcher thinks Bellinger would be a perfect fit for the Halos’ dugout. It remains to be seen whether the team will be willing to put as much money on the table soon or not. They have two other hitters who can be deemed more affordable.

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Free Agents Jorge Soler and Teoscar Hernandez are set to fetch about $45 million for three years and $80 million for four years respectively, according to MLBTR predictions. For this season, Soler hit .250 for 36 homers, 75 RBIs, and an OPS of .853. Compared to Hernandez’s 26 homers and hitting .258, for 93 RBIs in an OPS of .741, the former looks like a steal deal.

It is imperceptible whether the Halos will go for any of the three sluggers to replace Shohei Ohtani’s batting post. They need to round up their offense rotation if they plan on facing off teams like the Dodgers next season.