3 non-tendered players Angels fans should keep an eye on

The Angels were one of many teams to non-tender players off their roster, as there are now 62 new free agents after the non-tender deadline passed. Perry Minasian has been the most active general manager in baseball thus far, and now has even more options to round out the roster.

For years the Angels' organizational depth has failed them. They have not made the playoffs in a decade largely due to their complimentary pieces not complimenting whatsoever. This free agent class is top-heavy, but still boasts a large quantity of players who can help contending teams.

Who fits the Angels needs? Who could be a cheap addition who would end up worth their weight in gold? Let's take a deep dive.

Josh Rojas

This one is an absolute no-brainer for the Angels. Rojas is a far better option than any third baseman the Angels currently roster, and they could weaken their division rival in the process.

While not a household name, Rojas was one of the best defensive third basemen in baseball last season with the Mariners. The 30-year-old played over 2/3 of games at third, and his OAA was in the 94th percentile. His fielding run value was in the 85th, and he has above average arm strength. In layman's terms: dude can pick it.

The Angels will likely run out José Soriano, Kyle Hendricks, and Jack Kochanowicz (potentially not on Opening Day, but certainly at some point next season) in their rotation, and those three all generate a lot of ground balls. Hendricks and Tyler Anderson also generate a ton of hard contact. The Angels' infield defense requires a lot of improvement, and they already began that process by signing Kevin Newman. When Zach Neto returns from his shoulder injury, a defensive infield of Rojas at third, Neto at short, Newman at second, and Schanuel (or maybe Ryan Noda as a defensive replacement) would be leaps and bounds better than any infield defense they have sported in recent years.

Rojas is not known for his bat, but there are facets to like there. He is a table-setter, used often as a leadoff or double-leadoff last year in Seattle. While he is not that fast and did not run the bases that well last year (he was above average on the base paths in every year before 2024 though), he can draw walks, square up the ball, and stay within the zone. He is a fundamentally sound hitter, and the Angels could use another left-hander.

Adding Rojas would allow Luis Rengifo and Newman to not filter in at third base as much, thus keeping them at their more natural position -- second base. More importantly, signing Rojas could finally mean an end to the Anthony Rendon era. The Angels' third basemen have been a merry-go-round in recent years, and Rojas is both reliable and durable enough to stick there all year.