10 Angels players that won't be back next season

All offseason, the major topic of discussion will be figuring out where Shohei Ohtani is going and how much he is going to be making. The Los Angeles Angels two-way player is the best player in the game today and is considered by many to be the best player ever. Even with him not pitching in 2024, the Shohei sweepstakes will rival 'The Decision' made by LeBron James.

While Ohtani is the big free agent out there, the Angels are a team that will have a new look in 2024. Sure, we know some players like Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel, and yes, Mike Trout, will be here, but a lot of the roster is in flux following another disappointing season.

First, the Angels need to figure out what they're doing with Perry Minasian and Phil Nevin. Once that's sorted out, the roster will need to be the main focus as the Angels look to show some sort of improvement in 2024.

While it's fun to wonder who the Angels will bring in, let's focus on who will be departing for now.

1) LA Angels two-way player Shohei Ohtani will not be back in 2024

This isn't what I want to happen, but it's what I believe will happen. The Los Angeles Angels were fortunate enough to get six years of Shohei Ohtani, but never won more than 80 games with him. No winning seasons, no postseason appearances, not even any meaningful games. That will mean something in the free agency process.

Time and time again Ohtani has said he wants to win. While the Angels have some fun young talent proving that they belong, they're still a ways away from being a true World Series contender. It feels unlikely that Shohei will want to wait and wonder if that will ever happen.

In order to bring Ohtani back to Anaheim Arte Moreno will have to spend around or over $500 million. Can he do that? Absolutely. Will he? That remains to be seen. The chances of the Angels being the highest bidder when teams like the Mets and Dodgers are expected to be at the forefront of the bidding are slim.

I believe the Angels have a shot, but an outside shot. They can't offer much of what other teams can. I'd love for Shohei to come back, but can't see it for now.

2) LA Angels infielder Gio Urshela will not be back in 2024

Gio Urshela is another player that I'd love for the Angels to find a way to re-sign but believe he'll be headed elsewhere in free agency. Urshela has proven in the last five years that he's a starting-level player, and the Angels just don't have the opening for him.

Anthony Rendon, no matter how badly the fan base wants him gone, will most likely be here in 2024. That means he's pencilled in as the Opening Day starter. It's safe to assume that he'll miss time, but there isn't a guaranteed opening at third base.

Urshela proved this season that he was capable of playing other positions like shortstop and first base, but those spots are also taken. Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel are two impressive rookies who are part of the Angels plans in the short term and long term. They've earned starting spots at short and first respectively.

If they do lose Shohei Ohtani, the Angels could DH Rendon and put Urshela at third, but who knows if they'd be willing to do that. Gio has earned the right to be a full-time starter somewhere, and will likely make starter money for one year at least. The chances of the Angels matching or topping a large financial commitment, even if it's short, for a bench player seem slim.

3) LA Angels pitcher Aaron Loup will not be back in 2024

This one is pretty self explanatory, but the Angels will presumably have no interest in retaining Aaron Loup after the abysmal season he just had, and there's a good chance Loup will want a fresh start as well.

When the Angels signed Aaron Loup to a two-year deal in the 2021 offseason, they were expecting to add one of the best left-handed relievers in baseball. He was coming off a year which saw him post an ERA below 1.00 for the Mets, and while the Angels couldn't have expected him to replicate that, they obviously expected a whole lot more than what they got.

Last season Loup was a fine reliever for much of the season but he really struggled in May when the rest of the team collapsed. They could've really used him during that 14-game losing streak, but he didn't come up big. This season was more of a mess from start to finish.

The season began with Loup blowing the game in Oakland on Opening Day and ended with him blowing a game in Tampa Bay. He had an ugly 6.10 ERA overall, working primarily as a low-leverage reliever. Seemingly every time the team put him in a big spot he folded.

Loup does have a club option for the 2024 season, but there's no chance the Angels pick that up. He'll enter free agency where he'll latch on elsewhere or maybe even retire at age 35.

4) LA Angels outfielder Randal Grichuk will not be back in 2024

Randal Grichuk's 2023 season was full of ups and downs. It started with him missing most of April due to injury, but then saw him put up an .861 OPS for Colorado. He struggled mightily once the Angels acquired him in a trade but then he finished strong in September. It was quite the rollercoaster.

Overall, he wound up putting up a respectable .779 OPS in 118 games and 471 plate appearances for Colorado and Los Angeles. That's a mark good enough to have him start in plenty of places, but that opportunity isn't available here.

Mike Trout obviously has center field on lock. The corners can be occpied by any of Taylor Ward, Mickey Moniak, or Jo Adell. If all three remain with the team, they'll all presumably see fairly regular at-bats. This doesn't leave much opportunity left for Grichuk who is going to want to play.

There are bad teams out there with openings in their outfields for Grichuk to take for a year or two. There're also good teams that'd welcome a player like him to come off the bench. The Angels don't fit in either category. The chances of him walking are very high.

6) LA Angels pitcher Jaime Barria will not be back in 2024

A lot of the players leaving will do so either by choice (Ohtani) or because there simply isn't a role for them (Grichuk, Urshela). Jaime Barria is still under team control through the 2025 season and the Angels have room in their rotation and bullpen if they wanted him to be a part of either. The problem is, he simply hasn't pitched well enough to earn it.

Barria was one of the team's saving graces in the first half, pitching well in the rotation and bullpen when the Angels really needed it. The problem was, for a second straight year, Barria's advanced numbers made it seem like he was getting lucky. The luck ran out in the second half and he was simply unusable down the stretch.

Barria had a 10.29 ERA in 16 second half appearances. Everyone remembers the blown save against the Astros, but Barria had several clunkers in long relief as well. That was eye opening as Barria had excelled in those low-leverage spots for a while now.

He finished the season with a 5.68 ERA in 34 appearances. It gets worse, as he somehow had a 6.07 FIP. He's out of options and is arbitration-eligible. He will see a raise from the $1.05 million he received this season if the Halos choose to tender him a contract for the 2024 season, and I just can't see them doing that. They're better off letting a guy like Kenny Rosenberg take that spot.

7) LA Angels infielder Eduardo Escobar will not be back in 2024

The Angels acquired Eduardo Escobar in a midseason trade with the Mets because of his good qualities. He's a phenomenal leader and clubhouse guy. He's a versatile defender with the ability to play three of the four infield positions. He's good against left-handed pitching. The Angels also had a need for him with Anthony Rendon and Gio Urshela out, and the team not having any stability at first base. Both corners needed reinforcement. Escobar and Mike Moustakas were supposed to provide that.

Moustakas is a player the Angels will look to bring back as he got off to a great start with the club, is from the area, and is a natural leader. Escobar on the other hand, really struggled as an Angel and is going to either wear another uniform in 2024 or retire.

The 34-year-old was already struggling as a Met this season and was even worse with the Angels, slashing .219/.259/.303 with two home runs and 15 RBI in 59 games and 178 at-bats. He only played regularly when the team was severely shorthanded and never got it going offensively.

I love Escobar the person, but the Angels are better off upgrading their bench. They'll need a quality third baseman at the ready for if/when Anthony Rendon goes down, and Escobar at this point is not that.

8) LA Angels catcher Chad Wallach will not be back in 2024

Chad Wallach was another player who came out of nowhere and kept the Angels afloat in the first half. He began the season as the team's third catcher but was quickly pressed into action when Logan O'Hoppe landed on the IL.

He entered the 2023 season with 48 hits in 243 at-bats with four home runs and 24 RBI across 90 games in a five year span. He never did much of anything offensively which is why he never had a solidified backup job, but he was red hot when the Angels first called him up. In fact, he hit a home run in his first MLB at-bat of this season.

He had four home runs in 243 at-bats heading into this season and had five in his first 75 of this season. He was settling in nicely as Matt Thaiss' backup who'd get starts against lefties and when Shohei Ohtani pitched. Unfortunately, his bat cooled down substantially and he finished his season with ten hits in his last 55 at-bats.

Wallach was about as good as you can expect a third catcher to be but is entering his second arbitration year and is out of options. He won't be ahead of O'Hoppe or Thaiss on the depth chart, and the Angels won't carry three catchers. It's possible the Angels bring him back on a minor league deal, but the chances of him being tendered a MLB contract are very slim.

9) LA Angels infielder Jared Walsh will not be back in 2024

2023 was Jared Walsh's last chance to prove he belonged at the big league level. The Angels had hoped after he underwent surgery that he'd be good as new this season, but things didn't work out the way they planned.

Walsh went on the IL with some neurological issues prior to the season but was able to seek treatment and find his way back to the majors in May. It was great to see Walsh back in an Angels uniform but he had just eight hits in 67 at-bats with 26 strikeouts before being DFA'd.

The Angels gave him another chance in September with them needing bodies and he responded with a couple of home runs in his first five at-bats back. That was great, but he ended his season with three hits in his last 32 at-bats with 18 strikeouts. The strikeouts were out of control and he simply couldn't hit.

In a perfect world, the Angels are able to keep Walsh around in AAA until he potentially finds his swing again. Unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world and Walsh has to be tendered an arbitration contract or non-tendered all together. Considering the fact that the Angels have a first baseman already and he'd be making more than the minimum, the chances Walsh has played his last game with the organization are high.

10) LA Angels outfielder Brett Phillips will not be back in 2024

Brett Phillips was signed this past offseason to play a very particular role. He was the team's fourth outfielder who'd rarely ever start but could come in for defense and run off the bench. He played that role well in the first couple of months but the team couldn't ignore what Mickey Moniak was doing in the minors. Phillips was DFA'd and outrighted to AAA Salt Lake where he would remain until September.

With the Angels needing bodies to finish out the season, Phillips was a player the team brought up to play the final month. He showed a little something with the bat in the first part of the month, hitting .313 with three home runs in 32 at-bats. Unfortunately he didn't finish as strong, going hitless in his final 18 at-bats with 13 strikeouts.

Phillips is what he is. He's an elite defender and base runner who can't hit a lick. The lack of offense should be a non-starter for the Angels as he enters his second arbitration year. The team could keep him around if they want to, but Phillips will likely be non-tendered.

He brings a ton of good vibes and is good at pretty much anything except hitting. If only he could make a little more contact.