Zack Cozart: 24 HR, .297/.385/.548, 3 SB, 141 wRC+, 5.0 fWAR
Three Years, $38 million
If there was any doubt they were going for a division crown after the signing of Shohei Ohtani, the Angels have alleviated it with the trade for Ian Kinsler and the signing of Zack Cozart. They probably won't catch the Astros, but their is always a chance and if not, the Angels are in really good position for a Wild Card spot. After years of decency, posting fWAR's between 1.2 and 2.5 every year from 2012-2016, Cozart broke out in a big way in 2017 by slashing .297/.385/.548 with 24 home runs, a 141 wRC+, and 5.0 fWAR over 122 games. His .312 BABIP (versus a .280 career mark) suggests that luck may have played a part in his breakout, but not by much, and his batted ball data supports his breakout being real. His 30.8% hard-hit rate was the second highest of his career (after the 31.2% rate in 2016), while his 42.3% fly ball rate was a career high and his 38.2% ground ball rate was a career low. Cozart also brings defensive value, and though he'll move from shortstop to third base in deference to wizard Andrelton Simmons, it's a big upgrade in the field for the Halos. Now with Simmons, Cozart, Kinsler, Mike Trout, and Martin Maldonado in the field, the Angels will boast one of baseball's best defenses with the likelihood to bring home multiple Gold Gloves. For his career, the Ole Miss alumnus has 82 home runs, a .254/.305/.411 slash line, and 14.9 fWAR over 743 games.
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