3 LA Angels players who should be on a short leash in 2024

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There are players in Major League Baseball who have earned long leashes. They can struggle to begin any given season and not worry at all about losing their spot either because the team believes they can turn it around or because the player is making too much money to sit on the bench.

A player like Mike Trout, for example, can hit .200 in the month of April and not worry one bit about his role. He's going to continue to hit second or third just about every day when healthy and be counted on to produce in a big way. The Angels will think that eventually he'll break out of his slump (as he always does).

On the flip side, there are players scratching and clawing their way trying to stick around either in their roles or on the roster in general. These three Los Angeles Angels players should have an opportunity to play important roles but should have very short leashes.

1) Carlos Estevez

Carlos Estevez was one of the best closers in all of baseball in the first half of this past season, posting a 1.80 ERA in 36 appearances and converting a franchise record 21 saves without blowing a single opportunity. He was an all-star and more importantly, kept the Angels competitive in the first half.

The second half wound up being a completely different story for Estevez who posted a 6.59 ERA in 27 appearances, blew four saves in his 14 attempts, and just looked completely burnt out. Perhaps Estevez was overused in the first half and that's why he collapsed down the stretch, but it was abundantly clear that this was not the same guy the Angels had to begin the season.

Entering the 2024 season, the question of whether Estevez should still be the team's closer is a very real one. Since the team didn't sign an experienced closer this offseason he likely will be, but with Robert Stephenson and Matt Moore joining the fold, his leash cannot be long. Even youngsters like Jose Soriano and Ben Joyce who could fit seamlessly into the ninth inning with their stuff might deserve some looks.

Estevez did enough to earn some save chances, but if he gets off to a rough start, moving him out of the closer's role is a no-brainer. The Angels have too many other options to turn to for them to give Estevez a longer leash than he deserves.

2) Jo Adell

Assuming he isn't traded, Jo Adell is almost certainly going to make the Angels Opening Day roster. Situations can change if he looks really bad in Spring Training, but Adell seems like the very clear frontrunner to be the Angels fourth outfielder.

The reason for this is quite simple. Adell is out of options. If he isn't traded, the team can either keep him on the 26-man roster, or they can attempt to send him down to the minors. The only problem is, he'd have to clear waivers for them to do so. Even with Adell proving nothing at the MLB level, there is at the very least one team out there that would claim Adell for his talent alone. The Angels won't want to risk losing him for nothing, making him either a virtual lock for the Opening Day roster or a very realistic trade candidate.

Assuming Adell is not traded and makes the team, his leash should not be long. He's proven he has the tools to be a star one day in the majors, but has not shown that his skills can translate to the big leagues whatsoever.

Adell has a whopping .625 OPS in 619 MLB plate appearances across four seasons. Yes, he crushed minor league pitching this past season and did a better job at putting the ball in play, but that remained a huge issue in the majors. Adell fanned 40.3% of the time this past season in the majors and has a 35.4% K-rate in his career. Not great.

If the Angels are trying to win games, keeping a player who has proven time and time again that he cannot hit MLB pitching is not the way. He should get a chance, but if he fails to take advantage of that, the team must cut bait sooner than later.

3) Jose Suarez

Jose Suarez is a prime example of a player whose leash was far too long this past season. Suarez was allowed to make six starts for the Angels in 2023 and he looked overmatched in five of the six. He posted a 9.62 ERA in his six starts before landing on the IL with a shoulder injury and missing most of the season.

The southpaw would return in a bullpen role and pitch better to finish out the season, but he has not done close to enough to have a guaranteed spot for the entire 2024 season.

Like Adell, Suarez is out of options. Also like Adell, if he was placed on waivers, the team would likely lose him for nothing. The team will not want that to happen, and will presumably give him a chance to crack the Opening Day roster even if he struggles in Spring Training barring a trade.

Assuming Suarez does make the team, he should not have a long leash whatsoever. He'd clearly be the worst pitcher in the rotation or in the bullpen, wherever they put him, and he should be treated like it. Sure, he has some potential as a left-hander with decent stuff, but if the goal is to win, the Angels can't be rostering a pitcher that looked uncompetitive this past season. If he improves, he deserves it. He has to prove it first.

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3 Angels players who should be on a short leash in 2024

1) Carlos Estevez

2) Jo Adell

3) Jose Suarez

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