"Tony Reagins vows to approach this off-season the way the Angels like to run the bases. He will not be passive. He will not be shy.

"We're going to try to be creative, aggressive, and see where things shake out," the general manager said Thursday, one day after the Angels closed a season in which they failed to make the playoffs for the second straight year. "We're not going to sit back and let things come. We're going to try to improve the club."

The needs are clear. The Angels must upgrade an offense that scored 667 runs, 188 fewer than the Texas Rangers, who won the American League West by 10 games and appear built to dominate the division for years."