3 Angels free agents whose stock is in the toilet

We all know that the 2023 free agency will revolve around Shohei Ohtani. Where he ends up and for how much is what everyone is wondering. The Los Angeles Angels superstar is expected to fetch some amount between $500 and $600 million. Just unfathomable numbers.

If anything, Ohtani's play this season has only made his stock rise. He's having his best offensive season yet while still pitching at an all-star level. Nobody has ever won the MVP award in July before, but barring injury, it's his.

The only way Ohtani can possibly see his free agent value decrease would be if he were to get hurt. Other players do not have that luxury as they're nowhere near as talented. These three players have seen their value plummet because of poor performance.

1) LA Angels outfielder Hunter Renfroe is seeing his free agent stock plummet

The Angels traded for Hunter Renfroe who was coming off of arguably his best season in 2022 and had been one of the more consistent power hitters in the majors throughout his career. Unfortunately, things haven't worked out the way either side hoped.

After a hot start, Renfroe has slashed .246/.293/.448 this season with 15 home runs and 41 RBI. Has he been bad? Not really. He's still a tick above league average as a hitter with a 101 OPS+, but that's way lower than what Renfroe has been accustomed to.

Last season he hit 29 home runs in just 125 games and had a 125 OPS+. That was a career-high in a full season for him. He's a guy with a career OPS of .785 and has hit as many as 33 home runs with as many as 96 runs batted in.

Renfroe has the outstanding arm that we've seen on multiple occasions this season, but he ranks in the 16th percentile in outs above average according to baseball savant and he's been worth -4 DRS. He's been a poor defender which means he has to be a whole lot better at the plate to make up for it.

Renfroe is a guy who has hit primarily fourth and fifth this season for the Angels, yet he's hitting .159 with a .489 OPS with runners in scoring position. His home run rate is as low as it's ever been, and he's not driving in runs at an efficient clip.

There's no reason to believe he can't bounce back, but having your worst season in a walk year is not what you want.

2) LA Angels pitcher Aaron Loup is seeing his free agent stock plummet

If anyone knows how to cash in on a walk-year, it's Aaron Loup. The left-handed reliever had the best season of his career by far with the Mets right before hitting free agency the following season. He had a 0.95 ERA in 65 appearances back in 2019 for New York, and the Angels were the team that allowed him to cash in.

Loup signed a two-year deal worth $17 million to come to Anaheim that offseason. He wasn't nearly as good as he was for the Mets as expected, but Loup was still a useable reliever for most of the season. This year has been a different story.

Loup has a 5.47 ERA in 27 appearances. He was given the first high-leverage chance of the three lefties in the bullpen on Opening Day and he blew it. He was immediately moved to lower-leverage situations, and he has yet to earn high-leverage spots. He's only been used in close games when the bullpen has been exhausted or when they've needed one out against a left-handed hitter.

At certain points this season it felt inevitable that Loup would be DFA'd. I still wouldn't rule it out. He has a club option worth $7.5 million which the Angels certainly won't be picking up. He'll get a deal in free agency, but it won't be anything close to what he got with the Angels and it might not even be fully guaranteed.