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.

Mike Tauchman

Tauchman was not non-tendered due to his performance or salary figure per se, it was due to the Cubs' abundance of up-and-coming outfielders they want to utilize instead. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kevin Alcantara, and Owen Caissie are among the Tauchman replacements. Between non-tendering Tauchman, Nick Madrigal, and the rampant trade rumors surrounding Cody Bellinger and Nico Hoerner, the Cubs are likely on the verge of a youth movement.

The Cubs' loss could be the Angels' gain. Tauchman is an OBP machine. Of all position players last season with at least 200 PAs, Tauchman's .357 OBP ranked 36th (and 2nd on the Cubs). His 13.4% BB% ranked 9th. Tauchman is essentially the veteran, outfielder version of Nolan Schanuel. The left-hander sees a lot of pitches, stays within his zone, does not chase (he posted an elite 22.7% chase rate), and uses the whole field (granted, he does this far better than Schanuel).

He gets on base a lot, do we care if it's a walk or a hit?

Mike Tauchman vs. Dylan Carlson is an interesting call for the Angels. Carlson offers higher upside if he can get right, but Tauchman has a higher floor coming off of his solid 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Cubs. The Angels are clearly intent on going all-in for 2025, and Tauchman fits that model better than Carlson. Some might not agree with a team coming off a 99-loss season potentially opting for the soon-to-be 34-year-old over the 26-year-old, but this is the direction the franchise seems to be going. They value veterans with great makeup (Tauchman is a universally beloved player), over reclamation projects.

If they had to choose, Tauchman seems like the more likely option...but honestly-- ¿por qué no los dos?

There are a multitude of other position players who the Angels should consider, most notably: Brendan Rodgers, George Valera, Bryan De La Cruz, Brennen Davis, and Nick Madrigal. The group of pitchers who were non-tendered is more sparse with talent, but there are several gems. Let's try and find one.

Austin Voth

Kyle Finnegan, who was an All Star with the Nationals last season, is a given. There should be a robust market for the fireballer who collected 38 saves, even though the advanced metrics are not incredibly fond of the 33-year-old.

Austin Voth who, like Josh Rojas, played for the Mariners last season, is an intriguing option for the Angels' bullpen. His metrics are tantalizing: his hard-hit% was in the 99th percentile of pitchers, his average exit velocity was in the 98th, and his whiff% in the 89th. He had an above average K% and BB% as well. Another good sign for Voth moving forward: his xFIP and xERA were lower than his FIP and ERA.

Voth is primarily a cutter-baller, but sports a mid-90s four-seam, and tosses frisbee sweepers and curveballs. He has exceptional velocity differences on all four of his pitches. The 32-year-old spent the five years of his big league career with Washington, before moving to Baltimore, and Seattle.

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