3 Angels free agents after this season seeing their stock rise

We all know the story of 2023 free agency will revolve around Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani. The Japanese phenom is expected to get around or above $500 million in total dollars, which will set records.

As crazy as it might sound, I'm not even sure there's anything Ohtani can do to make his stock rise higher than it is. If he hurts himself his stock can lower, but with his price the way it is right now, I don't even think another MVP award really raises his price since it's the expectation right now.

While Ohtani's stock might not be rising, the Angels do have other free agents heading to the open market this offseason. Most of them have played well, and are seeing their stocks rise.

1) LA Angels infielder Gio Urshela is seeing his free agency stock rise

The Angels acquired Gio Urshela who had one year left of team control before reaching the open market. Urshela has been everything the Angels envisioned and more.

They acquired him because of his versatility, but mainly to serve as a backup for Anthony Rendon. With Rendon's injury history since he came to Anaheim, you knew he'd miss some time, and you knew you couldn't rely on the Matt Duffy's and Andrew Velazquez's of the world to fill in regularly.

Urshela was a proven player both offensively and defensively, and has made all of the difference since Rendon went down. Even when Rendon was healthy, Urshela's ability to play first base and shortstop added some much-needed flexibility to this team. He's an elite defender at third, but showed himself to be at least capable in other spots.

What's impressed us most and why he's seeing his stock rise is his bat. Urshela is fifth in the league in batting with a .306 average, and has shown an ability to put up a professional at-bat no matter what the situation dictates.

I'd love to see Gio back in Anaheim after this season, but in all likelihood he'll get a starting third baseman job elsewhere. He most certainly deserves it.

2) LA Angels pitcher Matt Moore is seeing his free agency stock rise

Matt Moore signed a one-year deal to come to the Angels worth $7.5 million. While that $7.5 million certainly is not dirt cheap for a reliever, the fact that he couldn't get two years did surprise some people.

Moore was dominant in 2022 for the Rangers, posting a sub-2.00 ERA and showing an ability to get both righties and lefties out while always possessing the potential to record more than three outs on any given night.

General Managers around the league likely wanted to see Moore repeat his 2022 season before giving him a multi-year deal along the lines of relievers like Aaron Loup, Ryan Tepera, and Carlos Estevez.

Now, after Moore has gotten off to an unbelievable start as an Angel, it'll become increasingly harder for a GM to resist giving him that type of contract.

Through his first 22 appearances, Moore has a 1.44 ERA in 25 innings of work. He has a fantastic 0.800 WHIP, and has earned Phil Nevin's complete trust in any scenario.

Moore being on the Injured List now doesn't help, but assuming he doesn't miss most of the season and continues to pitch well when he does return, his next contract should be a better one than he signed late this offseason.