SAN DIEGO — After Stephen Strasburg agreed to a seven-year, $245-million deal to return to the Washington Nationals, the Angels were left in a somewhat precarious spot.

Not only was one of their prime pitching targets off the market, but the deal likely cranked up the price tag for Gerrit Cole.

While Angels general manager Billy Eppler refused to say much about the team’s pitching pursuits, Manager Joe Maddon conceded that “the dominos are falling.”

“We somehow have to grab some of those dominoes,” Maddon said during his media session on the first day of MLB’s Winter Meetings.

Reports continue to paint the New York Yankees and Angels as the top suitors for Cole, with the Dodgers also lurking. There was also a wide-spread belief that Cole could make his decision within a few days, as Strasburg’s deal added some urgency to the market.

It also raised the bar for Cole’s price tag.

Strasburg, whose deal is worth $35 million per year, is two years older than Cole. He’s also been less durable over the past few years, and not as good the past two years.

That prompted many in the industry to suggest that Cole would get a deal of eight or nine years, for more than $35 million a year. The total value is expected to exceed $300 million.

So far the Angels have had multiple “ownership-level” meetings with agent Scott Boras about Cole, according to a source.

Angels owner Arte Moreno is not in San Diego, according to Eppler, and his involvement in the offseason moves has been about the same as in past years.

From Maddon’s perspective, Moreno is willing to do whatever he can to land Cole, who starred at Orange Lutheran and UCLA.

“He’s committed,” Maddon said. “He’s not just saying that. He’s definitely all-in.”

Maddon also spoke in glowing terms about his meeting with Cole, who he called “a different animal.”

“He’s very bright,” Maddon said. “He’s very bright, and he’s not afraid to ask you a question. I think 29- and 30-year-olds today are different than 29- and 30-year-olds of 30 years ago. There’s an openness, and the questions are very frank, and they’re good. I was very good with all that.

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Maddon said the only two other free-agent pitchers that he spoke to were Strasburg and Zack Wheeler, who signed with the Philadelphia Phillies late last week.

If the Angels come up short on Cole, they could sign a free agent such as Madison Bumgarner or Hyun-Jin Ryu, or perhaps make a trade for a pitcher like Robbie Ray or José Quintana.

“We do need more pitching,” Maddon said. “There’s no question. I’ll be the first one to tell you that. For us to compete on the level we want to this year, we have to get more innings out of our starting rotation, and you definitely have to augment the bullpen a little bit, although there are some really good arms out there.”