LA Angels: Four Non-Tendered Pitchers Worth Targeting

While the LA Angels are going to be doing some big game hunting for starting pitchers this free agency period, that doesn’t mean they can simply overlook and ignore depth pieces.

Every team in the MLB has injuries, but it seems like the LA Angels have had the worst injury luck for years. A huge portion of those injuries have come to the starting rotation, where they haven’t had ample depth.

Monday night, MLB teams non-tendered (therefore releasing) 40 players. Most of those were infielders, but there were some notable pitchers released as well, and these four names pop out as guys who the Halos could target on the cheap to help fix their depth problems going into 2020.

Kevin Gausman

If there is one non-tenderer players that MLB teams will be after, it’s Kevin Gausman. While his overall numbers for the 2019 season were poor, he improved drastically after moving to Cincinnati halfway through the season.

In 15 games, 14 of which came as a reliever, Gausman posted a 4.03 ERA. That was more than two full points shaved off his ERA, and he showed that he still has the ability to be a contributor. Whether that comes as a starter or reliever is yet to be seen. The Angels could use him as an opener if they plan to continue using that strategy in 2020.

Jimmy Nelson

This is just a classic case of losing a season to injuries. Jimmy Nelson battles elbow issues throughout the season, leading to both poor production and only pitching in ten games.

Nelson was awful prior to going on the 60-Day Injured List in late June. However, he was much improved upon returning, even if it was an incredibly small sample size. He’s a former starter turned reliever, and could be a player to take a cheap flyer on.

If he can regain any sliver of his old self, it’d be a worthwhile investment for the Angels.

Ryan Buchter

One of the best lefty specialists in all of baseball, Ryan Buchter was non-tendered by Oakland last night as the A’s did their yearly tradition of non-tendering good players who are set to make slightly-above market value.

While Buchter was an understandable release, he offers a solidified role for any and all MLB teams. He owns a career 2.86 ERA and, as MLB Network’s Jon Morosi points out below, has been one of the best strikeout machines since 2017. He’s a dynamic reliever that has a capped value due to his projected role, but the Angels would be wise to at least test the waters on his market this winter.

Ryan Buchter was among the most notable non-tenders tonight, as one player agent observed to me. Buchter's 9.36 SO/9 over the past three seasons ranks 15th in @MLB among left-handers with 150+ appearances. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 3, 2019

Taijuan Walker

Probably the highest upside player of this group, Taijuan Walker has been a reliable mid-rotation arm when healthy in the MLB. From 2015-2017, he posted a cumulative 4.10 ERA with a 3.06 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

However, 2018 and 2019 were almost completely lost to injury. He made just three starts in 2018 and one last season as he battled shoulder injuries and, most recently, a torn UCL.

Despite that, he made it back to the MLB last season for one start and threw one scoreless inning. He’ll be only 27-years old for nearly all of the 2020 season, and could prove to be a building block going forward for the Angels.

He might not be the ace the fans desire, but Walker could prove to be a very reliable rotation piece as he (and the Angels) try to put his injury plagued 2018-2019 behind him.