LA Angels: 5 non-tendered players to look at

Curt Casali

The Angels are need of a backup catcher, someone that can help split time with current Angels catcher Max Stassi and while the team does need pitching as well, why not go and get the number one free agent pitcher’s battery mate? Casali was splitting time with Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart as Casali was more of offensive of the two, he slashed .260/.345/.440 with 18 home runs in less than 500 plate appearances across the three seasons he spent with the Reds.

In 2020, Trevor Bauer’s stats while Casali was the one catching him were sharp as he had an ERA of 1.82 in 39.2 innings pitched with 54 strikeouts and held opponents batting average to a .145 which is absurdly low. Casali was also trusted with catching Bauer in the National League Wild Card series against the Atlanta Braves where Bauer went 7.2 innings giving up no runs on only 2 hits with 12 strikeouts.

Casali being non-tendered means he should be considered reasonably cheap as the Cincinnati Reds clearly thought he wasn’t valuable enough to be tendered a contract. In an interview with Christopher Russo on MLB Network, Casali mentioned that he was very involved with the prep work that went into Bauer’s starts and that while Bauer mostly led the charge between the two of them, Casali was on the same page with him terms of attacking hitters at the plate.

Getting a guy like Casali would be a huge get for the Angels both in terms of needing an extra catcher and making a strong sails pitch to land Trevor Bauer as they would both get to adjust to both being back in the American League.

Carlos Rodon

It doesn’t seem too long that Rodon was the third pick in the MLB draft back in 2014, but since then it’s been an uphill battle for him and one that the White Sox didn’t see was worth fighting for. He’s dealt with a lot of nagging injuries that has affected his ability to pitch and his development as he had Tommy John surgery back in 2019 and dealt with left shoulder soreness for most of the 2020 season.

He only made 2 starts in 2020 in which he only tossed a combined 7.2 innings with an ERA of 8.22 with only 6 strikeouts. His best season was arguably his first season in the Major Leagues back in 2015 where he made 23 starts with a 3.75 ERA in 139.1 innings pitched with an opponents batting average against of .251 with 139 strikeouts.

The Angels are in a desperate need of retooling their starting rotation and while Rodon has a plagued career of injuries, the team should at least consider taking a look at him. He isn’t going to cost a whole lot considered he’s being non-tendered and having a fresh set of eyes on him in terms of coaching and development might be what he just needs to figure it out.

The known rework of the Angels development system led by Angels new gm, Perry Minasian, may work to Rodon’s advantage and he could find success which in turn benefits the team.

Matt Wisler

It was surprising to see the Minnesota Twins to non-tender Wisler after he posted an outstanding performance in 2020 with a 1.07 ERA in 25.1 innings of relief while also striking out 35 batters. He comes after spending time with multiple teams which include a long stint with his original team the Braves, the Reds, the Padres, the Mariners, and the Twins.

He’s primarily been out of the bullpen, although he has made the occasional start, however, in the Angels current situation with cleaning house of most of their bullpen through non-tendering players, they could use him in relief. Posting those strong numbers in the American League, although small sample size due to the shortened season, should garner interest from American League teams that are trying to bolster up their bullpen.

The only knock on Wisler would be that he only throws two pitches which are the 4-seam fastball and slider which he used 83% of the time according to Baseball Savant. He did have other pitches in his arsenal like change-up, curveball, and a sinker which were all abandoned after the 2019 season. While he was dominant with just those two pitches for 2020, the Twins must have taught he could not have kept up that type of dominance for next season.

Despite what other teams may think, the Angels should give him a shot at repeating his success from 2020 and prove that it wasn’t a fluke especially if it isn’t going to cost them too much.

Archie Bradley

After trying some time in the starting rotation for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Archie Bradley made the move to the bullpen and became a reliever where he found more dominance. His best season came in 2017 when he mustered a 1.73 ERA in 73 innings pitched and held hitters to a .207 batting average against along with 79 strikeouts.

He was traded in 2020 to the Cincinnati Reds in which he only made 6 appearances for the team. In total for the season, Bradley tossed 18.1 innings of work while managing a respectable 2.95 ERA and holding hitters to a .246 batting average. With the Angels bullpen now having been completely flushed out with players being non-tendered, the team must work on acquiring a lot of bullpen pieces to supplement what they lost.

The Angels should take advantage of the Reds letting Bradley go as this will be only his fifth season in the relief role as he’s been primarily a starter coming up. He has a solid four pitch mix which include a four-seam fastball, curveball, changeup, and sinker that he all uses in different proportions, the fastball being his go-to at about 60% usage.

He’s below average in spin with both his fastball and curve which if he improves on both, he may find more success considering those are the two he throws the most. For the right price, he could be another valuable piece the Angels get in improving their bullpen.

John Brebbia

Not a lot of people might not know who John Brebbia is as he has bounced around the St. Louis Cardinals system before finally being non-tendered by the Cardinals in 2020. He’s really only had one good season that helped put him on the map in terms of relievers as he had a 2.44 ERA in 51.2 innings and held opponents to a .193 batting average while striking out 51.

He missed the 2020 season due to recovering from Tommy John surgery which he had the season prior which is another reason many probably don’t know his name. This might be why the Cardinals didn’t want to stick around with him and try to work with him after recovering from his surgery which the Angels could capitalize on if there are no other suitors for him.

While there isn’t much to go off of from him as he only pitched 3 season in the Major Leagues, he did post up some numbers in 2019 before his Tommy John surgery. He had an ERA of 3.59 in 72.2 innings pitched while holding hitters to a .212 average and getting 87 strikeouts.