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3 former Angels players failing miserably with their new teams in 2023

By Zachary Rotman |
Los Angeles Dodgers v Pittsburgh Pirates
Los Angeles Dodgers v Pittsburgh Pirates / Justin K. Aller/GettyImages
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The Los Angeles Angels lost some players in free agency after selling at the deadline. The team right now is still built around Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, but the parts around them look different (and better).

A look around the league at some ex-Angels finds these three members of the 2022 roster failing miserably in their new uniforms.

1) Former Angels player failing miserably with his new team: Tyler Wade

The Angels acquired Tyler Wade from the Yankees in the 2021 offseason. He was a solid utility player in New York, showing the ability to play multiple positions and provide a spark mostly off the bench.

In Los Angeles, Wade did no such thing. In the 67 games he played for the Angels, Wade slashed .218/.272/.272 with one home run and eight RBI. He did steal eight bases which is a solid number, but was caught five times so he didn't even do that particularly well.

Wade was awful for the Angels to the point where he was eventually Designated for Assignment and traded back to the Yankees for a player to be named later.

Wade did not end up appearing in a game for New York, and he elected free agency.

The utility man ended up inking a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics. Even with the fact that he signed a minor league deal, you'd think a guy the Angels traded for last season would've made the Opening Day roster on a team as bad as Oakland, but Wade did not crack the initial 26-man group.

He did get called up early on this season, but has done virtually nothing. He has one hit in his 13 at-bats. He does have four steals which is good, but one hit in 13 at-bats with eight strikeouts is bad. He rarely plays on the Oakland Athletics. That tells you all you need to know there.

2) Former Angels player failing miserably with his new team: Noah Syndergaard

Noah Syndergaard signed a one-year deal to come to Anaheim and help bounce back from Tommy John Surgery. The right-hander wasn't awful, posting a 3.83 ERA in 15 starts, but it was clear that he simply wasn't the same guy. His velocity was way down, and he wasn't striking anybody out. The guy people once called Thor was anything but intimidating even if he was effective.

With the Angels out of contention and Syndergaard on an expiring contract, the team traded him to the Phillies for Mickey Moniak. While Moniak hasn't made an impact on this year's team, he had a great Spring Training, has played pretty well in the minors, and looks to be a piece for the future. Syndergaard on the other hand, continues to regress.

The right-hander was alright in Philadelphia posting a 4.12 ERA, but found himself out of the rotation towards the end of the season. He made a couple of postseason starts, but struggled in his World Series appearance.

Syndergaard as a free agent got offers from a bunch of teams, but made it a point to go back to California, only to sign with the Dodgers. His reasoning was valid, as we've seen what the Dodgers have done with a guy like Tyler Anderson, but even Mark Prior hasn't seemed to get him back on track.

Syndergaard has a 6.58 ERA through five starts. He has 21 strikeouts in 26 innings pitched while allowing 32 hits. He remains a pitch-to-contact guy which isn't bad, but isn't the Thor of old. The Dodgers won his most recent start after he allowed seven runs in four innings. In his other four starts, they're 0-4. It hasn't been great for either side as the Dodgers aren't winning when he pitches and Syndergaard isn't regain

3) Former Angels player failing miserably with his new team: Michael Lorenzen

Michael Lorenzen was a player I was on the fence about the Angels bringing back. I felt he had a couple of solid stretches making starts for the Angels last season, but he also spent time on the Injured List and was inconsistent. I felt he couldn't be worse than what the Angels have at the back of their rotation, and in a sense I was right with how Jose Suarez has pitched, but it still looks like they made the right decision to let him go.

The right-hander signed a one-year deal with the Tigers worth $8.5 million. His first month with Detroit hasn't been pretty whatsoever.

Lorenzen suffered a groin injury in the latter stages of Spring Training, and began the season on the Injured List. Injuries played a big role in Lorenzen's up-and-down year last season, and he was on the Injured List before even throwing a pitch for Detroit.

He made his Tigers debut on April 15 and allowed six runs in four innings against the Giants. He bounced back with five scoreless innings against the Orioles, only to implode again and allow five runs in five innings in Milwaukee. In the first month of the season, the Tigers are already getting the full Lorenzen experience. injuries, and inconsistency.

Lorenzen can bounce back, but he has a 7.07 ERA and just 14 innings pitched through his first three starts. I don't know how much rope he has in the Tigers rotation, but with them not being committed to him past this season, I can't imagine he'll have many more starts to show something.

Next. Ranking every player on the Los Angeles Angels 40-man roster. dark

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