The LA Angels part ways with five players from 40-Man Roster. Could there be more?

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The LA Angels and five players mutually agreed to part ways, meaning they will be taken off the 40-man roster and are free to sign with another team.

The LA Angels made moves last off-season to acquire a few players to bolster the pitching staff and also to add depth offensively, but many of them did not work as planned. Almost every player with the exception of Tommy La Stella. Jonathan Lucroy, Matt Harvey, Cody Allen, and Peter Bourjos were all released by August 1st, Now the Angels allowed Luis Garcia and Justin Bour to become free agents as well and they are not likely to re-sign Trevor Cahill, who is free agent. In addition the Angels also granted free agency to some veteran Angels who did not have great seasons in Kaleb Cowart and Nick Tropeano. Here is an analysis on why the Angels cut each one loose.

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – JULY 31: Luis Garcia #40 of the Los Angeles Angels reacts after giving up a three run homerun to Gordon Beckham #29 of the Detroit Tigers, to trail 9-1, during the eighth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 31, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

The Angels thought that Luis Garcia and his 90s fastball would be a good fit in their back of the bullpen. Unfortunately, Garcia struggled to get batters out and also struggled with his control after being acquired last Winter in exchange for Jose Alvarez. Garcia finished the season with a 2-1 record and an ERA of 4.35. His WHIP of 1.52 and allowing 13 home runs in only 62 innings negated his 57 strikeouts. Plenty of other pitchers emerged to fill the role the Angels thought Garcia would fill. He will not be missed.

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 04: Justin Bour #41 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim looks on as he returns to the dugout at the end of the first inning in the home opener against the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on April 04, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Justin Bour was another player the Angels thought would strengthen their line-up especially from the left side of the plate. Unfortunately Bour was in a season-long slump that he only broke out of for about a three week period in July. He finished with a .172 batting average eight homers, and 26 RBIs. He struck out 52 times in only 151 at-bats which means once every three times he was at the plate. No Bueno! So the Angels and Bour are parting ways.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 21: Miguel Del Pozo #58 of the Los Angeles Angels throws against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington on August 21, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Miguel Del Pozo, a left-handed reliever was claimed off waivers in August from the Texas Rangers and did not fare well. Despite being a left-handed reliever Del Pozo was just too bad to even think about keeping. He was 1-1 with a 10.61 ERA walking eight batters in 9.1 innings. Opponents hit .286 off of Del Pozo and he had a 1.93 WHIP. So he will not be back in 2020.

ANAHEIM, CA – AUGUST 06: Nick Tropeano #35 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitches against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning at Angel Stadium on August 6, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /

Two moves that were a little tougher was releasing Kaleb Cowart and Nick Tropeano. Cowart was an Angels first round draft pick in 2010, but could never consistently hit big league pitching and that was his demise. He was great with the glove and even tried pitching some this year, but in the end it did not matter as he was not offered a contract for 2020 and elected free agency rather than being sent to Triple-A Salt Lake.

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In 373 career at-bats Cowart struck out 121 times batting .176. He hit six homers and drove in 34 runs in his Angels career. In the minors Cowart hit 80 homers and drove in 536 runs while hitting .268, but that was as far as his success reached.

Nick Tropeano on the other hand had shown a lot of promise in his first three seasons in Anaheim compiling an 11-10 record with a 4.15 ERA. He had a 1.32 WHIP during that span and struck out 183 batters in 204 innings pitched.

Tropeano had Tommy John Surgery in 2016, but seemed to bounce back well in 2018 going 5-6 with a 4.74 ERA. However his season would be cut short in 2018 due to right shoulder inflammation. This year Tropeano could never seem to recapture the magic he had shown at times over his first three seasons. He ended up 0-1 with a 9.88 ERA with a 1.76 WHIP. Tropeano gave up six homers in 13.2 innings and opponents hit .316 off of him. So the Angels decided to give Tropeano his walking papers as well.

Trevor Cahill will most likely not be back as he is a free agent and did not have a great season. Kole Calhoun‘s future with the Angels is up in the air as he has a club option worth 14 million dollars which the Angels have until five days after the World Series ends to decide on whether to pick it up or pay the 2,000,000 dollar buy out.

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We will see what happens. There still may be more tough decisions to be made before next season.

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