The Angels wanted to make a big splash in the off season and that they did. The Angels signed Torii Hunter to take over in center field for Gary Matthews who will now be the #4 outfielder/DH for the Angels. Hunter is even better than Matthews defensively and that’s saying a lot. Hunter also brings big time power to the middle of the lineup and he’ll probably help protect Vladimir Guerrero in the lineup so that he can see more strikes that usual. The other big move the team made was trading Orlando Cabrera to the White Sox for starting pitcher Jon Garland. Garland will likely slot into the #3 spot in the rotation and he should do really well for the Angels this season. Erick Aybar and Maicer Izturis will battle to replace Cabrera in the starting lineup. Neither has the power Cabrera does but they are both decent hitters and good defensive players.

OFF SEASON GRADE FOR THE FRONT OFFICE: B

The Angels have signed outfielders Dee Brown and Chad Hermansen to minor league contracts. 29 year old Dee Brown played in 8 games last season for the A’s and he was 0 for 3 with 2 whiffs. Brown has now played in 271 games in his major league career and he is 190 for 814 (.233 avg, .613 OPS) with 86 runs scored, 14 homers and 89 RBIs. 30-year old Chad Hermansen hasn’t played in the majors since 2004 with the Blue Jays. Hermansen has played in 189 games in his major league career and he is 96 for 492 (.195 avg, .584 OPS) with 49 runs scored, 13 homers, 34 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Hopefully, the Angels won’t need either of these guys next season.

The Angels have non-tendered 3B Dallas McPherson making him an unrestricted free agent. He last played in the majors in 2006 for the Angels as he’s had big-time problems with his back which caused him to miss all of the 2007 season. McPherson played in 117 games in his career with the Angels and he is 89 for 360 (.247 avg, .755 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 18 homers and 45 RBIs. Some team will give the 27 year old slugger a chance as long as he passes a physical due to his back problems of the past.

The Angels have signed Torii Hunter to a 5-year, $90 million dollar contract. The 32-year ond center fielder played in 160 games last season for the Twins and he was 172 for 600 (.287 avg, .839 OPS) with 94 runs scored, 28 homers, 107 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. Adding Hunter likely means that the Angels will look to move Gary Matthews in a trade this off-season because he makes too much money to sit on the bench. Hunter has now played in 1,234 games in his major league career and he is 1,218 for 4,492 (.271 avg, .793 OPS) with 672 runs scored, 192 homers, 711 RBIs and 126 stolen bases. He also is probably the best defensive center fielder in the game.

The Angels have acquired righty starter Jon Garland from the White Sox for Orlando Cabrera. This was a good move by the Angels to get value for Cabrera who was coming off of a career season in which he hit .301 (.742 OPS) with 101 runs scored, 8 homers, 86 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. The Angels will likely open up the position for battle in Spring Training between Maicer Izturis or Erick Aybar. The Angels will likely suffer on offense but the defense should at least be equal to last season. Also, the Angels are trying to make a move for a big hitter (Miguel Cabrera?) which will easily help off-set losing Orlando Cabrera. Garland will step right into the #4 spot in the rotation for the Angels and he’s a pretty good one. Look for him to benefit from moving away from Chicago’s launching pad. Last season, Garland started 32 games and he was 10-13 with a 4.23 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. For his career to date, Garland has pitched in 246 games (233 starts) and he is 92-81 with a 4.41 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. This was a good old fashioned baseball trade that will likely help both teams.