Angels News: 3 former Halos are now free agents, Shohei Ohtani wins his third MVP

The non-tender deadline is up, and several former Angels are officially free agents. Most notably, Griffin Canning, Jacob Webb, and Hoby Milner were not tendered contracts by their respective teams.

Canning becoming a free agent is a surprise on the surface, as many believed the Braves would hold on to the 28-year-old after trading Jorge Soler for him. In retrospect, the Braves clearly were just looking for a place to dump Soler's salary, and the Angels obliged. Canning was due around $5 million, and the Braves nor Angels were willing to give him that salary figure after he allowed the most earned runs in the American League last season. He likely would have been DFA'd or non-tendered by the Angels as well. Canning is now a free agent, and the reclamation project will be on hold for now until another club picks him up. Non-tendering Canning is reminiscent of the Braves trading for David Fletcher and Max Stassi last year, then immediately getting rid of Stassi.

Jacob Webb is also a free agent after the Orioles passed on giving the reliever around $1.7 million. Webb was DFA'd by the Angels in 2023, then caught fire in Baltimore. Webb could be a great addition if he accepts a minor league contract somewhere, he has shown enough in the big leagues to prove he can stick if given the opportunity.

Like Webb, Hoby Milner turned his career around after a poor 2020 season in Anaheim. Milner picked up with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021 and had a career year for the Brew Crew in 2023, posting a whopping 238 ERA+ in 73 games. He had a down year last season, and was due around $2.7 million for 2025. Despite poor traditional stats, the left-hander still showed an elite ability to induce ground balls, avoid barrels/pitch to soft contact, and not walk batters.

The Angels themselves are parting ways, for now, with Patrick Sandoval, Bryce Teodosio, Jordyn Adams, and Eric Wagaman. Teodosio, Adams, and Wagaman could easily be brought back in free agency, which is a normal course for prospects who do not make it past the non-tender deadline. Sandoval could be reunited with the club as well, but that is more murky given his big league experience. Perhaps the left-hander wants a change of scenery as he rehabs from his Tommy John surgery? The Angels will enter arbitration with Taylor Ward, Luis Rengifo, José Quijada, Brock Burke, Jo Adell, Reid Detmers, Mickey Moniak, and José Suarez.

Shohei Ohtani caps off his historic season with another MVP

Shohei Ohtani, now with the Dodgers, won a unanimous third MVP. He surpassed Francisco Lindor and Ketel Marte in the vote, and now joins Frank Robinson as the only players to win MVP in both the American and National League. Ohtani is the first full-time DH to win an MVP.

Many expected Ohtani to finish in the top 3 or 5 of the MVP voting, but not win unanimously given that he was not pitching in 2024. Ohtani's translator and closest work-partner, Ippei Mizuhara, stealing millions of dollars from him also left many to believe that his performance would tick down given the off-field turmoil. However, Ohtani continues to defy expectations. He went out and led the NL in bWAR, runs scored (he led all major leagues in runs), home runs, RBIs, OBP, SLG, OPS, OPS+, and total bases (he led all major leagues in TBs). A season with 54 home runs and 59 steals has never been seen before, let alone 50/50, and he capped it all off with his first World Series championship.

Happy for him.

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