2 reasons why the Angels shouldn't non-tender Jose Suarez, 1 reason why they should

As we continue to inch closer to the offseason, the Los Angeles Angels will make decisions as to how they plan on constructing their roster ahead of the 2024 season. Obviously a lot of those decisions will depend on what Shohei Ohtani decides to do, but a decision regarding the future of players who are arbitration-eligible will have to come earlier.

Some obvious tender candidates include guys like Taylor Ward, Luis Rengifo, Patrick Sandoval, and Griffin Canning. Others that the team will have a harder time deciding between are Jose Quijada who is missing substantial time after undergoing Tommy John Surgery, and Jose Suarez.

I can see both sides of the argument as to whether the Angels should keep or non-tender Jose Suarez.

The LA Angels should keep Jose Suarez around in hopes that he bounces back

There's a reason Jose Suarez was guaranteed a rotation spot in 2023. He impressed the season prior, and really turned it on in that second half. In 11 second half starts, Jose Suarez posted a 2.81 ERA in 64 innings pitched.

Suarez went at least five innings in all 11 starts after struggling to give length in the first half, and he allowed three runs or fewer in all but one of his starts. He wound up allowing two runs or fewer in seven of those starts. He was consistently pouring in quality outings for an Angels team that needed it.

Of course, there're other factors that were in play during his successful run in the rotation. First, the quality of competition wasn't good at all. He had starts against several struggling teams in 2022 like the Rangers, Royals, Athletics, and Tigers. Additionally, he was making starts for an Angels team that was completely out of contention, lessening the pressure.

The southpaw had more pressure on him by being in the Angels Opening Day rotation and he struggled from the jump. He never looked comfortable and then missed substantial time due to injury. There's every reason to believe he's simply not cut out for it, but there're also reasons to believe he can bounce back and pitch more like the guy he was in the second half. The Angels don't need him to be an ace, but maybe he can work as a fifth starter.

The LA Angels can always trade Jose Suarez instead of non-tendering him

I know it's hard to believe, but there will be a team out there willing to take a chance on Jose Suarez. The Angels won't be able to land any top prospect or key MLB contributor in a trade for him, but they should be able to trade him instead of losing him for nothing by non-tendering him.

Suarez is just 25 years old, is left-handed, and has three more years of team control. In addition to those very obvious factors, he's had some MLB success in the past. In 2021 he posted a 3.75 ERA in 23 appearances (14 starts). In 2022 he had that awesome second half which made the Angels clear believers.

Suarez has had much more success in the bullpen than he has as a starter, maybe a team out there will give him a real look in the bullpen and allow him to focus on just a couple of pitches. This past season, Suarez threw seven different pitches according to baseball savant and had trouble with most of the seven. Allowing him to throw a harder fastball while working in relief and only focusing on one or two other pitches could make him more effective.

The cost to acquire Suarez if the Angels don't see themselves keeping him will be cheap enough for others out there to bite. They wouldn't be getting anything meaningful in return but hey, something is better than nothing, right?