Angels head into spring training looking better, but that may not be good enough

Are the Angels better off today than they were at the end of last season? The answer, if you apply that old campaign slogan to a team that nosedived to 80-82 in 2010, would be yes.

They have two more middle-of-the-order bats than they had in October, left fielder Vernon Wells, acquired from Toronto in January, and first baseman Kendry Morales, expected back after suffering a broken leg last May.

They added two proven left-handers, Scott Downs and Hisanori Takahashi, to a wobbly bullpen, and Takahashi provides rotation insurance if Scott Kazmir continues to struggle.

They’ll also have veteran right-hander Dan Haren, acquired from Arizona last July, all season. And the outfield defense looks a lot better with Wells and Torii Hunter flanking acrobatic center fielder Peter Bourjos.

So why such doom and gloom surrounding the Angels as they report to Tempe, Ariz., Sunday in advance of Monday’s first spring-training workout for pitchers and catchers?

Much of it is perception.

Owner Arte Moreno’s declaration that he would “spend whatever it takes” to get the Angels back to the playoffs prompted images of Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre and Rafael Soriano in Angels uniforms.

One Internet columnist wrote that the team was “sitting on piles of cash” and could acquire all three.

The Angels aggressively pursued Crawford and Beltre but failed to sign them, Crawford going to Boston and Beltre to Texas. They didn’t bid on Soriano, the closer who signed with the New York Yankees.

Although they filled some needs, the Angels came up short of expectations. A New York Post columnist called their winter the worst in all of baseball.

Mike Scioscia apparently didn’t get the memo.

“We’re definitely a better team now than we were at any point last season,” the Angels manager said. “We definitely feel we have a contending team.”

They might . . . but a lot has to go right.

What’s changed

Wells, who hit .273 with 31 home runs, 44 doubles and 88 runs batted in last season, is in. Juan Rivera is out, and Bobby Abreu is no longer in the outfield.

Rivera was traded to Toronto, and Abreu moves to designated hitter. The upshot is a much improved defense; Rivera and Abreu were liabilities, and Wells, who will play left field, is a three-time Gold Glove winner.

The great debate behind the plate — Jeff Mathis or Mike Napoli? — is over. Napoli is now a Ranger, and the weak-hitting Mathis will compete with Bobby Wilson and rookie Hank Conger for the catching job.

If closer Fernando Rodney struggles like he did in the final month of 2010, when he had a 5.65 earned-run average in 15 games, the Angels could make a change at the back of the bullpen.

Reasons to be excited

They don’t stack up with Philadelphia’s vaunted rotation, but the Angels have four high-quality starters in Jered Weaver, who had a 3.01 ERA and a major league-leading 233 strikeouts in 2010, Haren, Ervin Santana and Joel Pineiro.

Though Napoli’s 26 homers will be missed, there is more heft to the middle of the lineup with Hunter, Wells and Morales, who hit .306 with 34 homers and 108 RBIs in 2009.

The bullpen, with the new lefties, will be more balanced, and right-hander Jordan Walden, whose fastball regularly hit 99 mph last September, could be an emerging star.

Reasons to be worried

The bottom third of the lineup — which will probably consist of Erick Aybar, the catcher and Bourjos, who, despite his defensive brilliance, hit .204 after his Aug. 3 call-up — drops off precipitously.

So does the rotation in the fifth spot. Kazmir, an ace on Tampa Bay’s 2008 World Series team, is a reclamation project after going 9-15 with a 5.94 ERA and losing velocity on his fastball.

The bench, a strength during the Angels’ six playoff runs last decade, looks thin.

And the AL West is more treacherous. The Rangers look as good as they did last season, when they reached the World Series, and Oakland might finally have a lineup to rival its superb pitching.

Keep your eye on

Morales and Maicer Izturis.

The Angels talked all winter about how Morales is better than any free agent they could add, but the switch-hitter is returning from major surgery, and there’s no guarantee he’ll regain his 2009 form.

If he does, the offense, which scored 202 fewer runs in 2010 than in 2009, should improve. If he doesn’t, the Angels will struggle.

The oft-injured Izturis made three trips to the disabled list and was limited to 61 games in 2010, but if he can stay healthy and repeat his 2009 season, when he hit .300 with eight homers and 65 RBIs, he would solidify the third-base and leadoff spots.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com