3 Angels players who will have to earn our trust in 2024

The offseason is approaching its ending, with February just days away and Los Angeles Angels pitchers and catchers reporting to Tempe, Arizona in a matter of weeks. It's been a long offseason for Angels fans who have seen their team lose Shohei Ohtani and despite an improved bullpen, look worse on paper than the 73-win team they trotted out last season.

The Angels are looking to be competitive in 2024 under Ron Washington, but in such a difficult division and league with a roster that does not include the reigning AL MVP, how feasible is that?

For the Angels to be the competitive team they hope, these three players will have to step up and earn the trust of the fanbase.

1) Patrick Sandoval

Patrick Sandoval broke out in a big way in the 2022 season, posting a sub-3.00 ERA and looking like a future all-star. It looked like he had shown improvements over the offseason, pitching extremely well on the big stage in the WBC, but his performance there just did not translate over to the regular season.

Sandoval didn't have a bad season by any means, posting a 4.11 ERA in 28 starts and 144.2 innings pitched, but it sure was an uneven and inconsistent one to say the least.

The southpaw would have outings where he'd be on the top of his game and look like an ace, and he'd have outings that would feel like a slog to get through and he'd be pulled before the fifth inning due to high pitch counts.

Angels fans know Sandoval has talent. When he's able to locate his pitches and stay under control he can be very good. However, it's hard to trust him when every other starts he lets one bad play snowball an entire game. Angels fans need to see more consistency from a guy who could easily be taking the ball on Opening Day.

2) Carlos Estevez

Carlos Estevez went through a roller coaster of a first season with the Angels, looking unhittable in the first half only to then lose all of the trust he had built up and collapse down the stretch.

Estevez had a 1.80 first-half ERA, making the all-star team and not blowing a single save in 21 tries. He had one of, if not the best half an Angels closer has ever had. He then followed that up by putting up an ERA of 6.59 in the second-half, blowing four saves in 14 tries and looking unusable for many of his appearances.

Angels fans are not expecting Estevez to be perfect, but if he's going to be pitching in big spots for the team they're going to need a whole lot better than what they got down the stretch. Perhaps the additions of Matt Moore and Robert Stephenson to go along with Ben Joyce and Jose Soriano will help Estevez not get overused like he did this past season, but the Angels need him to be a reliable late-game arm.

The way things are constructed now, Estevez likely projects as the team's closer. It's crucial that he's at the top of his game when the regular season begins.