The Angels were completely shut down in the postseason by the Boston Red Sox. En route to getting outscored 19-4 over three games, the Angels had to deal with key injuries. Vladimir Guerrero had a triceps strain going into the series, and a hit by pitch resulted in shoulder problems. Garret Anderson had an eye infection heading into the playoffs, and his performance suffered accordingly. However, there is good news moving forward as every key component of this year’s team is returning (unless you consider Bartolo Colon a key component – I don’t).

Strengths

The top of the rotation was great during the regular season. With John Lackey, Jered Weaver, and Kelvim Escobar coming back, the Angels have three spots covered for next season. The three star pitchers are backed up by a very good relief trio of Justin Speier, Scot Shields, and Francisco Rodriguez. Shields has seen a decrease in innings four straight years as he’s shifted from long relief/spot starter to set-up man, and he also set a career high in ERA this year at 3.86. Usually, a career high is a good thing, but not here. These things happen as players age, but even Shields’s worst performance was still pretty good.

I’ve heard many people talk about Vladimir Guerrero being in decline, but his numbers don’t tell quite the same story. In 2006, Vlad hit .329/.382/.552. This year, he hit .324/.403/.547. On a rate basis, he actually improved due to the increased OBP. Add this to the fact that he only had 33 fewer plate appearances this year, and you end up with Vlad having a better year this year than last year. One could argue that he has declined from his peak, and that’s definitely true, but the talk I’ve been hearing would make you believe that he’s declined significantly since last year. Whether or not he is actually declining is a non-issue for 2008 because he’ll still be a force in the middle of the lineup.

Concerns

General manager Bill Stoneman has a mutual option for 2008 in which he can come back as either the GM or a consultant. How the Angels approach this offseason could depend on who is behind the wheel of the organization. At this time, it’s hard to tell if this will be a good or bad thing for the team down the road.

The back end of the rotation is the only major concern on the field, but even that isn’t that major. Right now, it appears like the fourth and fifth slots are Ervin Santana’s and Joe Saunders’s to lose. Santana worsened mightily this season as he saw his ERA go from 4.28 to 5.76. The reasoning is that Santana came down with a serious case of gopheritis. After giving up 21 HR in 204 innings in 2006, he gave up 26 HR in just 150 major league innings this year. If that problem can be corrected before next April, the Angels will have their rotation set up pretty nicely as they defend their division title.

Overall

The Angels should have a good shot at the AL West title for several years without making any major changes, but there have been rumors that there could be several major changes this offseason. It has been rumored that owner Arte Moreno could throw money at Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and Johan Santana on the free agent and trade markets. Imagine a middle of the order with A-Rod, Bonds, and Vlad. Imagine a rotation with Johan, Lackey, Weaver, and Escobar in the top four spots. Now imagine both being on the same team. They’d be World Series favorites if they made those changes, but even without them, they have a strong shot at repeating as AL West Champs.