Angels eye LF upgrade, but options limited

Angels general manager Billy Eppler said Monday that he's "had conversations with free agents on the outfield market as recently as 24 hours ago," but wouldn't specify whether the big names -- Yoenis Cespedes, Justin Upton, and Chris Davis -- were among them. The Angels owner Arte Moreno has publicly said he does not want to exceed the $189 million luxury-tax threshold but has been known to pay top dollar on premier free agents. The club sits around $5 million under the luxury-tax threshold so any tier 1 outfielders will probably price themselves out of the Angels budget. There are still some appealing tier 2 outfielders that could help the Angels upgrade the left field hole that saw them post a .592 OPS, the worst in the majors. The Angels currently have switch-hitting Daniel Nava and right-hander Craig Gentry who both signed with the club this offseason as a platoon in left field.