'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Ever since Shohei Ohtani's departure after the 2023 season, Angels fans have been waiting for their front office to bring in a worthy replacement. With Mike Trout's injuries representing a growing cause for concern, fans of the team are hungry for a new superstar.
On Monday, MLB analyst Jon Heyman reported that LA would be signing veteran pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to a three-year, $63 million deal. The largest deal of the Japanese pitcher's career, fans are not so sure that the move was a good one for the Halos.
Trending
"Yusei Kikuchi to the Angels. $63M, 3 years." - Jon Heyman
The 10-year postseason drought for the Los Angeles Angels is the longest in MLB. For decades, fans of the Angels have blamed management, and owner Arte Moreno, for his failure to bring on diverse talent beyond Trout and Ohtani. Beneath Heyman's post, fans chimed in with their thoughts on the deal.
At 33, Kikuchi made his MLB debut for the 2019 Seattle Mariners. Previously an All-Star for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Japan's pro NPB baseball league, Yusei Kikuchi attended the same high school as Shohei Ohtani in Iwate Prefecture.
"Overpaying for mid again, what else is new" - shared a fan
"Overpaying for mid is the Angels way." - echoed another
"what are the angels tryna do" - pondered a fan
For Kikuchi, the 2024 season was a whirlwind. The southpaw began the campaign with the Toronto Blue Jays, but encountered struggled early. By July, Kikuchi was 4-9 with a 4.75 ERA. This prompted a trade to the Astros in July, where Kikuchi remained until the end of the season.
"Blue Jays finally won the trade!" - claimed a commenter
"Drastically overpaid there" - opined another
"He is not worth 21m" - came a final thought
Although Yusei Kikuchi pitched significantly better in Houston than he did in Toronto last season, it was not enough for Astros GM Dana White to invite him back. Now, at 33 years of age, Yusei Kikuchi will attempt to become one of the headline members of the Los Angeles Angels.
Angels attempt to build momentum with Kikuchi deal
The last time the Angels played a postseason game was in 2014, against the Kansas City Royals. Since then, despite boasting two of the best players in modern baseball, no playoff action has come to LA. In recent words, owner Arte Moreno told MLB.com:
“The reality is we need to put a competitive team out there, we have some young players and more depth than we’ve had. And we’ll have even more depth in ’26. When you’re looking at ’25, you’re looking at a combination of ’25 and ’26. What we have to do is do things in ’25 to be as competitive as we can, but we also want to do things to enhance ’26 so we’ll be deeper.”
Evidently, LA is playing the long game. Whether or not Kikuchi has enough longevity to be a contributing part of the Angels' strategy remains to be determined.
