“Angels made All-Star infielder an offer in free agency, but he declined: report”

The Los Angeles Angels made an offer to free agent second baseman Gleyber Torres, but he rejected it, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman.

“Someone asked me, ‘Gleyber Torres to the Angels?’ I don’t think that’s happening,” Heyman said on Bleacher Report on Thursday. “At least not now. They made him an offer. He turned down the offer He can do it, in spring training in Florida. I think that’s probably why.

This winter, the Angels added a number of hometown players to the roster, including Travis d’Arnaud, Kevin Newman and Kyle Hendricks. General manager Perry Minasian said he intentionally brought in players who love the West Coast.

“Maybe in my first year, my first two years in this job, I was chasing people who had a very slim chance of coming west,” Minasian said. “So I’ve made that adjustment over the last few years.”

Now that the Angels know of Torres’ geographic preferences, it’s likely the organization will target someone else. Minasian made it clear that he wants players who enjoy being in Southern California.

Although the Angels finished the season with a 63-99 record, Minasian believes the team’s location makes it an optimal destination for many free agents.

“In general, I don’t think our place is a hard sell,” Minasian said. “I say this all the time and I don’t know if people believe it or not. You would be surprised how many people want to play here. It’s a great place to play. It’s a great place to live. It’s a great place to spend the season. It’s a great place for families. It’s a good stadium. It’s a great fan base. It’s a great – not a good place to play – a great place to play. I’ve seen it especially this offseason. There are a lot of people who want to play here.

“It’s less about the talk and more about what’s happening on the field. I think people realize what we’ve been able to achieve here over the last few years, with some young players and with what we’ve added this year. You have relationships with people, with agents. They know what is a good place and what is not. I think people realize as the game goes on that we’re at a point where we’re desirable.”

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