3 upcoming Angels free agents who have been good but don't need to be re-signed

The Los Angeles Angels will once again try and bounce back this offseason after inevitably extending their MLB-leading playoff drought by season's end. There are several free agents the Angels will try and pursue, but they obviously do need to evaluate the players on the roster who will soon be free agents to determine whether they are good enough to re-sign.

Kenley Jansen has to be brought back, the two sides have an incredible working relationship and he seems to be a linchpin in the clubhouse. The pair of his veteran leadership and upper echelon closing ability has made him near-indispensable for the Halos moving forward.

Tyler Anderson is a free agent too, but the Angels should let him walk even if he is free. Anderson played his way into a minimum contract at best, and he was so poor this year that he might even need to settle for a MiLB deal this offseason. The Angels love them some reunions, but fans do not need to be subjected to more Tyler Anderson even if he starts the season with Triple-A Salt Lake and off the 40-man roster.

Role players like Chris Taylor, Hunter Strickland and Jose Ureña are hitting free agency. All three have had their moments, and it will be interesting to monitor how the Angels feel about them.

Now, the Angels have a few decisions to make on some solid big league contributors who are hitting free agency. Several of them have been fine, good, passable. No one would bat an eye if the Angels brought them back, but it might be best to move on these three in lieu of other players with more upside.

3 upcoming Angels free agents who have been good but don't need to be re-signed

Luis Rengifo

Luis Rengifo or Yoán Moncada? Doesn't it feel that the Angels need to pick one and let the other walk?

Both switch-hitting infielders are posting a .243 batting average right now. Rengifo has better counting stats (other than home runs) and Moncada has better rate stats. Rengifo is more positionally versatile and has played more games than Moncada, but Moncada has provided far more bang for your buck.

Rengifo has been fine this year. He started the year disastrously, but was much better in June, July and August. He is coming back down to earth in September, but has at least temporarily shown that he is a more accountable player -- Rengifo has played in 135 games so far this year, which are the most of his career.

Rengifo seems like more of a desired commodity around baseball, while Moncada has more red flags so it stands to reason that Rengifo will receive a larger contract in free agency. If the Angels had to pick between the two (assuming they strike out on options like Alex Bregman, Eugenio Suárez, etc.), bringing back Moncada and rolling with either Christian Moore or an external option at second base feels like the move. Moncada will be cheaper and is a much better hitter than Rengifo -- Moncada is a middle-of-the-order type hitter, and Rengifo is a bottom-three in the lineup type player.

Kyle Hendricks

The Angels are likely to let Tyler Anderson walk, and they should let the other soft-tossing veteran in their rotation go as well. Hendricks is the definition of an innings eater -- he has thrown 149.1 innings so far and has a 4.58 ERA, 4.82 FIP and 1.27 WHIP. All those numbers are fine, but bringing him back would be a safe move and not a smart move.

The Angels need to show some risk heading into the 2026 season. The Angels need to stop going after pitchers in their late-30s who throw 80-poo and try to find a higher upside rotation piece -- whether it's signing another marquee starter like they did with Yusei Kikuchi, or emboldening a prospect like Caden Dana, Ryan Johnson, Sam Aldegheri, Mitch Farris, Víctor Mederos or (gulp) Jack Kochanowicz.

Andrew Chafin

Luis García and Andrew Chafin were the two arms the Angels acquired at the trade deadline, and both have fared admirably since the trade that brought them over from Washington. The southpaw has a 1.98 ERA, 3.02 FIP and 1.17 WHIP, while the right-hander has a 0.64 ERA, 2.09 FIP and 1.14 WHIP while with the Angels.

First of all, Chafin might not want return to the state of California unless the Angels overpay him (thanks to the state tax). The Ohio-man might not love being an employee in the state of California, which is not an uncommon sentiment.

Like with Rengifo and Moncada, if the Angels had to choose between García and Chafin they should go with García to return to an Angels bullpen that will feature Jansen (hopefully), Ben Joyce, Reid Detmers, Brock Burke and Robert Stephenson. García has better numbers and better stuff than Chafin, and could even wind up being cheaper since Chafin is a lefty.

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