The Angels continued their assault on the Mets’ pitching staff on Monday night, signing reliever Aaron Loup to a two-year, $17 million contract. This move comes not even a week after Los Angeles inked Noah Syndergaard to a one-year deal worth $21 million dollars—leaving Mets fans wondering what in the world is going on. A week ago, New York was probably the favorite to sign both of these hurlers, and now the pair of ex-Mets is heading west as Steve Cohen watches helplessly from his owner’s box. The Mets have made it clear that they plan on being aggressive once again this winter, but two of their top Free Agent pitching targets are already off the board and the offseason is just getting started. 

Loup was excellent for New York in 2021, posting an absurd 0.95 ERA in 56.2 innings out of the bullpen. While it is highly unlikely the left-hander will replicate those numbers in 2022, this is nonetheless a terrific signing by the Halos—snatching him for just $8.5 million AAV.

For years now the Angels have been repeatedly ridiculed for neglecting to address their biggest need: pitching. With perhaps the two best players in baseball—Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani—leading the charge and studs like Anthony Rendon and Jared Walsh, hitting is not the Angels’ problem. Yet, they are the only team in baseball to finish with a record below .500 in each of the last six seasons. Why? It’s quite simple: their pitching has been reliably abysmal. In those six seasons, the Angels have finished outside of the top-20 in team ERA four times, ranking 19th and 12th in the other two seasons. And who was their General Manager for each of those losing seasons? That’s right: new Mets GM Billy Eppler. However, it looks like the Angels are finally changing their ways in 2022. And it is at no one’s expense more than the New York Mets’.