The Angels seem to be 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 .