3 LA Angels players fighting for their futures ahead of 2024 season

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Hope springs eternal, and Major League Baseball has a way of offering one last gasp to former top prospects and wandering veterans. Every spring, hundreds of professional ball players will head to Arizona or Florida in search of a roster spot. Some players, like Mike Trout, just need to show up. Others aren't so fortunate.

There are a number of talented players at Angels spring training this year who are fighting for their future, whether it's their place in the batting order, their roster spot, or one last chance to remain in the big leagues altogether. Sorry, Angels fans, but that's just the state of franchise at the moment.

While many of those players are non-roster invitees or failed prospects, they're all part of big league camp in Tempe this spring. So which three Los Angeles Angels players are fighting for their futures ahead of 2024 season?

3 LA Angels players fighting for their futures ahead of 2024 season

Chad Wallach, C

Chad Wallach spent the past two seasons in LA, but was outrighted to Triple-A this offseason. The veteran backstop, however, re-signed with the club shortly after being removed from the 40-man roster and received a non-roster invite to spring camp.

Logan O'Hoppe will be the Angels' Opening Day catcher, but the battle for the backup spot will come down to Wallach and Matt Thaiss. Wallach has performed well thus far, and could be making a play to play behind O'Hoppe in 2024.

But Thaiss is out of minor-league options. While Wallach's time in the big leagues doesn't appear to be at risk this spring, his time in a Angels uniform could be coming to an end if he's unable to unseat Thaiss. It seems unlikely that the Halos would be willing to designate the former first-round pick for assignment, but the Angels could look to trade Thaiss if the coaching staff prefers Wallach as the No. 2 catcher on the depth chart.

Jo Adell, OF

Jo Adell has one last shot with the Los Angeles Angels, and with three weeks left until Opening Day, his chances don't look so good. The former first-round pick has struggled during his time in the big leagues, and spring performance this year has left a lot to the imagination.

A once promising prospect, Adell has fallen on hard times. Adell played in just 17 big league games in 2023 and was plagued with the same problems he's had throughout his career. Adell is little more than a bench bat at this point for the Angels, and could be well on his way to those dreaded three letters, DFA.

Adell has virtually no plate discipline. Over his major league career, the 25-year-old owns a walk rate below 5%. Throw in a strikeout rate above 35%, and everyone can see why the Angels have run out of patience. Adell has a .259 career on-base percentage.

If the Angels decide to designate Adell for assignment, and he clears waivers, there's a chance the outfielder would remain with the Angels organization. But a player with Adell's raw tools and .961 OPS in the minor leagues last season will likely be plucked if the Halos DFA him this spring.

Adell has about three weeks to get things right, but it may already be too late. The Angels have seen Mickey Moniak's star begin to rise and signed Aaron Hicks for virtually nothing this offseason. The hourglass is just about up for Adell's time in LA.

Jose Suarez, RP

Jose Suarez signed with the Los Angeles Angels all the way back in 2014. At one time, Suarez was one of the top pitching prospects in the Angels farm system. It took five years for the left-hander to make his major league debut, and while he was brought up a starter, Suarez has now turned into a swingman of sorts.

That hybrid position seems to be all the rage in today's game. Having a pitcher who can go three innings of relief one night and then turn around and give a manager a spot start four or five days later has become so popular that these pitchers are signing lucrative deals.

But after Suarez's performance in 2023, no teams are lining up to sign the 26-year-old to a big-time contract. Suarez was 1-3 in just over 33 innings pitched and posted an 8.29 ERA with a 6.16 FIP. For some odd reason, the Angels kept Suarez around and even took him to arbitration this past winter. Suarez is out of minor-league options, so if he doesn't put up solid numbers this spring, it's quite likely his time in Anaheim could be coming to a close.

The Angels have received several strong outings from, of all people, Hunter Strickland and Drew Pomeranz. Both non-roster invitees, whose best days are behind them, have been on their game early on this spring. If Suarez doesn't kick it into gear, this could likely be his final spring donning an Angels uniform.

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