3 LA Angels players who weren't non-tendered but might soon lose their roster spot

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The Los Angeles Angels made the decision to non-tender Jose Marte at the non-tender deadline. This came as a bit of a surprise as Marte hadn't hit arbitration yet, but it's also not super shocking because it felt like he was a legitimate DFA candidate.

Marte might have been the only casualty by that deadline, but the Angels will have to eventually make more moves for one obvious reason. The 40-man roster stands at 38 for now. This means the Angels can add two players via free agency or trade before they'd have to DFA someone to open up more spots if they choose to add more than a pair of players. Based on the current state of this Angels roster, it's safe to assume Perry Minasian will be looking to make more than two moves this offseason.

Here are the next five players who could wind up losing their roster spot as the Angels try and improve what is very clearly a lackluster roster.

1) Jose Suarez

Jose Suarez was a prime non-tender candidate as we approached the non-tender deadline. He might be just 25 years old and he might have previous success, but his 2023 was so bad to the point where he really needs to be gone. Suarez was unusable in the rotation, and doesn't have a home in the bullpen either.

What really seals Suarez's Angels fate is the fact that he's out of options. This means the Angels cannot send him down without him clearing waivers. We already know he's not a legitimate rotation option, and Suarez likely won't be considered a big bullpen option either, especially with the way Kenny Rosenberg finished out the year.

How the Angels get rid of Suarez remains to be seen. They'll likely attempt to trade him, and I do think he'll have some value as a 25-year-old left-hander with previous success, but there's certainly a chance nobody will want him. If that's the case, the team will simply have to non-tender him. If the Angels want to put the best 26-man roster on the field, Suarez isn't a part of it. That's what this comes down to.

2) Livan Soto

Livan Soto came up in September of 2022 and showed a lot of promise both offensively and defensively, seemingly out of nowhere. That great month earned him a permanent spot on the team's 40-man roster and a chance to battle for playing time throughout the year.

Soto did earn one call-up, but appeared in four games and didn't stick. He was even passed on after the team had cleared many roster spots in favor of other infielders like David Fletcher and Kyren Paris.

The reason Soto barely got any action this past season after such a promising debut month is because he performed extremely poorly in the minors offensively. Soto slashed .237/.342/.358 with nine home runs and 47 RBI in 110 games played. He played most of those games at incredibly hitter-friendly AAA Salt Lake, but was sent down to AA Rocket City after his struggles mounted.

Soto will likely lose his roster spot at some point because he's behind too many individuals on the depth chart. Brandon Drury, Zach Neto, and Luis Rengifo are all middle infielders and they'll be on the team's Opening Day roster barring a trade. Other middle infielders such as Michael Stefanic, Fletcher, and Paris are also all on the 40-man roster and would likely have a leg up over Soto when it came to playing time. Sure, injuries happen, but he's just beyond buried on the depth chart at this point.

3) Austin Warren

Austin Warren will miss most, if not the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery this past May. Warren had earned a chance to prove himself with the Angels after a strong Spring Training performance but lasted just two appearances.

The Angels keeping him past the non-tender deadline was a little surprising because of that, but it's also possible they could be planning on keeping him through the offseason and place him on the 60-day IL in Spring Training when that's allowed. Doing so would open up a 40-man roster spot.

I do think that's their plan for now, but if they plan on adding more than three or four players, Warren's spot could be in serious jeopardy. With the 60-day IL not existing over the offseason, he's occupying a 40-man roster spot (as is Jose Quijada) when he won't be pitching anytime soon.

The reason I'd assume Warren will lose his spot before Quijada is because Quijada is far more proven. Warren has shown flashes, but his solid 16 appearance stint to begin his career came in 2021. He was bad in 2022, leading to the Angels DFA'ing him last offseason. He found his way back on a minor league deal, but hasn't done enough since that DFA to earn him a permanent spot on the 40-man, especially while he's hurt.

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