Where Does Matt Moore Fit With The Angels? Fantasy Baseball Outlook

The Los Angeles Angels have made a number of notable additions to their bullpen this winter, one of which is left-hander Matt Moore, who has inked a one-year, $9 million pact to play on the West Coast in 2024.

Moore lands a nice one-year guarantee after resurrecting his career over the last two seasons. It's actually a return to the Angels for the veteran southpaw as Moore spent the bulk of the 2023 season with Los Angeles before brief stops in Cleveland and Miami to conclude his productive campaign.

Now that he's back with the Halos, where exactly does he fit within their bullpen? How does this signing affect his fantasy baseball value? Let's dive in and find out!

Matt Moore's Fit With the Angels

Moore isn't the only significant addition the Angels made to their bullpen this week as they also added right-hander Robert Stephenson on a lucrative three-year pact. Stephenson was arguably the best reliever in baseball in the second half of last season and will fill a late-inning role for the Angels in 2024, putting Moore in a predicament. The club also added right-handed relievers Luis Garcia and Adam Cimber this winter.

Let's also consider Stephenson himself said that Carlos Estevez is still the Angels closer for now. Stephenson will begin the season as the Angels setup man, leaving Moore on the outside looking in for items such as saves and holds. He recorded a career-high 22 holds alongside his 2.56 ERA last season and managed 14 holds to go with his dynamite 1.95 ERA in the 2022 season with the Texas Rangers. He has been one of the better setup men in the game over the last two seasons.

New Angels skipper Ron Washington may very well play the matchup game between the right-handed Stephenson and the left-handed Moore in the eighth inning, but it's worth noting that Moore actually sported some serious reverse splits last season.

That said, Estevez posted a 6.59 ERA in 27 1/3 second-half innings last season as it doesn't appear he has a stranglehold on the closer's role. There can't be much leash there for a team desperate to climb back into contention following a 73-win season in 2023. Should his struggles continue, Moore bumps up the depth chart, assuming he continues to be successful.

For the time being, it doesn't appear Moore has much fantasy value. He's more or less in a seventh-inning role to begin the season behind Estevez and Stephenson. While he isn't worth a pick on draft day, he most certainly is worth keeping an eye on as his strikeout rate has soared above 27% in each of the last two seasons (versus his 21.3% career mark) and he posted a 20.6% K-BB% in 2023, by far a career-high.

Should he enter the mix for consistent holds or even the odd save, Moore will regain fantasy value, but it's going to take an Estevez or Stephenson decline to make it happen.

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