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Commentary: Angels are mired in free-agent purgatory. Why haven't they signed any top players?

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Commentary: Angels are mired in free-agent purgatory. Why haven't they signed any top players?

The Angels seem mired in baseball purgatory as spring training approaches, one big bat and frontline starter away from possible playoff contention, and one or two injuries away from another fourth-place finish in the American League West.

They had a chance to — but didn’t match — the 10-year, $700-million deal Shohei Ohtani signed with the Dodgers and lost the two-way phenom to their Southern California rivals, leaving gaping holes at the top of the rotation and in the middle of the lineup.

Those voids could be nicely filled with two pricey free agents the Angels have been linked to, veteran left-hander Blake Snell, who won the National League Cy Young Award with the San Diego Padres last year, and left-handed-hitting slugger Cody Bellinger, who hit .307 with an .881 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 26 homers and 97 RBIs for the Chicago Cubs.

Snell, who went 14-9 with a major league-leading 2.25 earned-run average in 32 starts, striking out 234 and walking 99 in 180 innings, could bump Reid Detmers, Griffin Canning, Patrick Sandoval and Tyler Anderson down a slot in the rotation and significantly boost the starting pitching.

Bellinger could replace a chunk — but not all — of Ohtani’s power and give the Angels a Gold Glove-caliber defender in either center field, necessitating the long-anticipated move of Mike Trout to left, or at first base, where Bellinger could play if rookie Nolan Schanuel struggles in his first full season.

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The Angels’ annual winter bullpen renovation seems to have gone fairly well, general manager Perry Minasian spending $49 million on right-handers Robert Stephenson, Luis Garcia and Adam Cimber and left-hander Matt Moore, who should provide new manager Ron Washington with plenty of setup options in front of closer Carlos Estévez.

The rotation would improve dramatically with the addition of Snell, and Bellinger would thicken the middle of a lineup that includes Trout, Anthony Rendon and Brandon Drury and will be be filled out by the likes of Luis Rengifo, Taylor Ward, Mickey Moniak and youngsters Logan O’Hoppe, Zach Neto and Schanuel.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Blake Snell delivers during Game 3 of the NLDS against the Dodgers in October 2022.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Would that be enough to vault the Angels, who suffered their eighth straight losing season by going 73-89 last year, into playoff contention in a rugged division that includes the defending World Series-champion Texas Rangers and the perennial title-contending Houston Astros?

Maybe Probablynot, but it could give them a fighting chance.

Without such additions, the Angels will have trouble competing for a playoff spot, and will have even more difficulty absorbing another major injury to Trout, who has played only 237 games in the last three seasons, or the perennially hobbled and high-priced Rendon, who has been limited to 148 games the last three seasons.

The question is, would owner Arte Moreno, who put the Angels up for sale in 2022, only to pull them off the market early last year, shell out the money required to sign Snell and Bellinger, who both reportedly are seeking deals in the $200-million range?

Minasian didn’t shed much light on that question this week when asked if he was optimistic he could add more players this winter.

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“We’re definitely not done from an offseason standpoint, but it’s got to be the right fit,” Minasian said. “It has to make sense. But do I believe there are still players out there who can help us improve and make us a more competitive club? Yes.”

Minasian was even more evasive when asked if the Angels would have a payroll similar to last year, when the GM jumped through more hoops than a Cirque du Soleil performer to waive enough players after an August collapse to get the Angels $28,000 under the $233-million luxury tax threshold.

“I’m not putting any type of number out there,” Minasian said. “It depends on the player and the fit. We’re gonna continue to work to try and make this team better.”

Angels manager Ron Washington, left, and general manager Perry Minasian share a light moment during Washington’s introductory news conference in November.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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The Angels’ payroll, as it relates to the competitive balance tax, stands at about $187 million, according to Cots Contracts, $50 million under the first luxury tax threshold.

They probably would have to convince Snell and Bellinger to defer large portions of their contracts, like Ohtani did with the Dodgers, in order to lower the present-day value of the deals for CBT purposes, but both players are represented by agent Scott Boras, who prefers his players get their money up front.

There is little indication that Moreno, who has been burned by so many nine-figure deals in the past, has the stomach for another massive free-agent splash, let alone two, and many fans wonder if he might be preparing to put the team up for sale again.

But if the Angels enter the season as currently constituted, they’ll likely be staring down the barrel of another disappointing season and contemplating — yet again — a total rebuild, which probably would begin with the trade of Trout, assuming the 32-year-old slugger regains something close to the form that made him a three-time American League most valuable player.

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That’s not what Angels fans want to hear on the verge of pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training in Tempe, Ariz., but covering their ears isn’t going to help.

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Mike Breen says fans ‘deserve to be thrown a bone’ as NBA cuts all local broadcasts from the playoffs

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Mike Breen says fans ‘deserve to be thrown a bone’ as NBA cuts all local broadcasts from the playoffs

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Mike Breen, the New York Knicks’ play-by-play announcer and star NBA voice with ESPN, is not happy with a key league move heading into the NBA Playoffs.

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And he didn’t hold back his frustrations during the Knicks’ regular-season finale on Sunday night.

For the first time in NBA history, all local network broadcasts are being pushed out of the playoffs for nationally televised games. Those networks paid a premium to air the playoffs, but the league had always allowed the local home broadcast to be aired as well as the national TV spots in previous seasons.

ESPN play-by-play sports commentator Mike Breen looks on prior to the game between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on Feb. 25, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Celtics defeated the 76ers 110-107. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Breen, alongside his longtime partner, Knicks great Walt “Clyde” Frazier, ripped the league’s decision on the final day of his broadcasting duties for the Eastern Conference squad.

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“First time ever that no longer can the home team announcers and broadcasters televise the first round,” Breen mentioned during the 110-96 loss to the Charlotte Hornets while broadcasting on MSG.

KNICKS BROADCASTER’S JOKE COMPARING BULLS’ ‘OBLITERATED’ DEFENSE TO IRAN LEAVES PARTNER STUNNED

“The entire playoffs are exclusive to national TV broadcasters. I mentioned this earlier this season. I think, personally, Clyde, it’s a poor decision. Fans want to hear their home team announcers, at least in the first round. For so many of us, they become part of the family.”

Breen added that he understands “the networks pay a fortune for exclusivity,” granted he works for one of those networks on ESPN.

“But fans deserve to be thrown a bone once in a while in terms of letting the home team have a little bit of the first round,” he continued.

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The NBA reached a whopping $76 billion broadcast rights deal that kicked in at the start of this season, and it will last for the next 11 seasons. Like other pro sports leagues, the deal is carved out across various platforms, both long-standing networks and streaming.

ESPN play-by-play announcer Mike Breen calls the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Jan. 17, 2024. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)

While the NBA got together the deal it liked with Disney, Amazon and NBCUniversal, Breen hopes it would consider working something out to get local broadcasters back into the fold for the playoffs.

However, he knows how the business is at the end of the day.

“Somehow, if there’s any way they can work out some kind of compromise, I’m not hopeful for that, but it would be wonderful to have it because this is our final telecast of the season,” Breen said.

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Breen, now, will focus on his ESPN duties as the lead commentator for the “Worldwide Leader” on the court. His famous “Bang!” call on clutch three-pointers has been synonymous with the biggest moments in the NBA Playoffs for years now, and that will get started very soon as teams in both the East and West gun for their shot at the Larry O’Brien Trophy and to call themselves NBA Finals champions.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning Finals champs, are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference once again, while teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers will battle them to be crowned conference champions.

Mike Breen looks on before the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers during Round 2 Game 3 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals 2023 NBA Playoffs on May 6, 2023 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images)

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In the East, Breen’s Knicks own the No. 3 seed, while the Detroit Pistons (No. 1) and Boston Celtics (No. 2) had successful regular-season campaigns to earn a top spot heading into the playoffs.

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The Play-In Tournament will be the first games for the NBA Playoffs, which will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. Then, the first round will split its tipoffs on NBC/Peacock, Prime Video and ESPN.

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Jonathan Quick, who won two Stanley Cup titles with Kings, announces retirement from NHL

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Jonathan Quick, who won two Stanley Cup titles with Kings, announces retirement from NHL

New York Rangers goalkeeper Jonathan Quick is calling it a career after 19 NHL seasons and three Stanley Cup championships — with 16 of those seasons and two championships as a member of the Kings.

The 40-year-old goalie told reporters Monday that he would be playing in his final game that night when the Rangers visit the Florida Panthers. It will mark Quick’s 921st game appearance, counting playoffs.

“Tonight will be my last game in the league, and I am looking forward to it,” Quick said following the morning skate ahead at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. “My wife flew down with the kids, my parents will be here. I am looking forward to this last one, try to get one more win here.”

He added of his decision: “It just felt right. Felt like the right time. I put some thought into it.”

Selected by the Kings in the third round of the 2005 draft, Quick became a fixture in front of the net for L.A. during the 2008-09 season. He was a key member of the Kings’ Stanley Cup champion teams in 2012 and 2014, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs with a 16-4 record, a .946 save percentage and 1.41 goals-against average.

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Quick won a silver medal as a backup goaltender for the U.S. at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, although he did not see any playing time. At the 2014 Sochi Games, Quick went 3-2 as the starting goalie for the fourth-place U.S. team.

By March 2023, Quick was the Kings’ leader among goalies in the categories of total games (743), wins (370) and shutouts (57). At age 37, however, he had also lost a step or two. The Kings traded him to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who turned around and dealt him to the Vegas Golden Knights the next day.

Quick saw a decent amount of playing time down the stretch in the regular season because of injuries to the Golden Knights’ goaltenders. He didn’t make it into any games during the team’s championship run in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

After spending the last three seasons in New York, Quick is set to make his 70th and final start with the Rangers and add the final numbers to a stat line that currently includes 20,315 saves (18th most all time), 410 wins (12th most) and 65 shutouts (17th).

“He earned the respect of his teammates, coaches and staff members through his work ethic and dedication to his craft,” Rangers general manager Chris Drury said in a statement posted on social media. “Jonathan is a special person and player, and the entire Rangers organization wishes him — along with his wife, Jackie, and three children, Madison, Carter and Cash — all the best in retirement.”

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The Rangers are 33-38-9 and will miss the playoffs for the second straight season. They finish the year Wednesday night at Tampa Bay.

Another key member of the Kings championship teams, Anze Kopitar, also is retiring after this season, following 20 years in the NHL, all with L.A.

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ESPN star calls for 2017 Masters winner to have his lifetime exemption removed after meltdown

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ESPN star calls for 2017 Masters winner to have his lifetime exemption removed after meltdown

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ESPN star Mike Greenberg called for Sergio Garcia’s lifetime exemption into the Masters Tournament to be pulled after his antics on the course in the final round on Sunday.

Garcia received a code of conduct warning after he smashed his driver in frustration at Augusta National. He slammed his club into the turf twice after hitting a shot that ended up in the bunker. Then he took a swipe at a table with a green cooler on it.

ESPN personality Mike Greenberg is interviewed on radio row at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 1, 2017, ahead of Super Bowl LI. (Jerry Lai/USA TODAY Sports)

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Greenberg seemingly saw Garcia’s anger as a detrimental issue.

“A lifetime exemption is a privilege extended by Augusta to its champions out of respect,” he wrote on X. “If that respect is not reciprocated, there is no law that says a past champ cannot be banned.

RORY MCILROY REPEATS AS MASTERS CHAMPION, JOINS RARE COMPANY AT AUGUSTA NATIONAL

Sergio Garcia lines up a putt on the second green during the first round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., on Apr. 9, 2026. (Michael Madrid/Imagn Images)

“I’m not sure they should have Sergio Garcia back after the garbage he pulled today.”

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Garcia, who competes in LIV Golf, won the Masters in 2017. It is his only major victory of his career. Since winning in 2017, he only made the cut for the final two rounds once. The feat came at this year’s tournament. He finished 52nd in the field.

Sergio Garcia plays his shot on the seventeenth hole during the second round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., on April 10, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)

He joined LIV Golf in 2022 as he was among the PGA Tour stars who left the organization. He has two wins in the series – at LIV Golf Andalucía in 2024 and LIV Golf Hong Kong in 2025. He played his way into a playoff four times, only winning the Andalucía event.

Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.

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