3 Pitchers Angels Could Sign With Gerrit Cole's Money

With each passing day and report, it seems increasingly likely that top free agent pitcher Gerrit Cole will sign with the New York Yankees. That means teams in desperate need of pitching help like the Los Angeles Angels will be left scrambling to find an alternative. And if their dogged pursuit of the standout ace does come up short, they can use the leftover money to pursue other pitching options on the market.

3. Hyun-Jin Ryu

Ryu has quietly been one of the best pitchers in baseball since the start of 2018. He captured an ERA title last year after finishing with a stellar mark of 2.32, this coming on the heels of a 1.79 ERA in 15 starts the year prior. The southpaw is a master of control and has issued just 164 walks in his 740 1/3 career innings of work. He's familiar with pitching in Los Angeles having been a member of the Dodgers for his entire career, and he'd be a solid alternative to Cole.

2. Madison Bumgarner

There are plenty of questions surrounding whether or not Madison Bumgarner is deserving of a nine-figure contract, but his elite resume should put those doubts to rest. He owns a 3.66 ERA over the last two seasons, posting a respectable 1.17 WHIP during that span, and that's not even mentioning his 2.11 career postseason ERA. He might not be as flashy as Cole, but Bumgarner gets the job done every fifth day.

1. Stephen Strasburg

Though Cole is the top dog this offseason, Strasburg is definitely a close second. The 31-year-old star pitched brilliantly in his 33 starts in 2019, logging 251 strikeouts, a 3.32 ERA and 5.7 fWAR. Though injuries are a concern, he never fails to pitch at an absurd level when he's healthy. For his career, he has a 3.17 ERA and a 29.1% strikeout rate. He has an elite ability to miss bats and could be the ace that the Angels have desperately needed for quite some time.