Los Angeles Angels: 15 minor leaguers hit free agency

As free agency opens up this week, many minor leaguers now become free agents. The Angels have one of the highest totals of players leaving the organization this week with a grand total of fifteen players set to pursue other opportunities. Most of the players on the list have seen time in the major leagues, but most acted as depth pieces within the organization.

The list of 15 players is as follows:

Victor Acosta

Arismendy Alcantara

Francisco Arcia

Jose Briceño

Adrian De Horta

Joe Gatto

Michael Hermosillo

Michael Kohn

Parker Markel

Eduard Pinto

JC Ramirez

Jacob Rhame

Erick Salcedo

Elliot Soto

Jake Thompson

Of the list, JC Ramirez and Michael Hermosillo are the men who spent the most time with the Angels at the major league level. The 32 year old right-hander JC Ramirez had a decent 2017 that saw him toss 147 1/3 innings for the Halos to the tune of a 4.15 ERA. Ramirez has only thrown 14 2/3 innings in the big leagues since then and they have not been pretty. Hermosillo is a 25 year old outfielder who supplied the Angels with a bench bat when needed. He posted a pedestrian 63 wRC+ across 56 games of big league action for the Angels since 2018.

Jose Briceño also received time as a catcher for the Angels when they needed a third guy. Arismendy Alcantara was once a promising prospect in the league, but his production has deteriorated at every MLB stop he has had. Jacob Rhame also has experience in MLB bullpens, most notably with the New York Mets.

All in all, the Angels will not be losing anyone of designated importance, but losing depth pieces always stings. However, the Angels will definitely look to bring in intriguing arms and bets to minor league camp and/or spring training to fill the void. The Angels will look to expand upon their major league roster in a big way this winter, but the depth pieces are absolutely going to be a loss for a team that continues to pluck from the minor leagues to supplement their roster as a taxi squad.