Angels might need to make drastic decision with struggling OF to follow Reid Detmers

The Los Angeles Angels made a surprising decision over the weekend when the organization optioned Reid Detmers to Triple-A Salt Lake. Though mildly controversial, you can't say that Detmers didn't deserve to be demoted to the minor leagues.

Detmers had just come off one of his worst outings of the season. The left-hander couldn't even get through four innings before Angels manager Ron Washington was forced to go to the bullpen. Detmers allowed five runs on just four hits, which obviously means that once again his command was horrible. Detmers walked four batters and has allowed 17 free passes in his last six starts.

But Detmers is far from the only Angels player in need of a trip down to the minor leagues. Flipping from the mound to the batters' box, Mickey Moniak's performance of late has been atrocious. The former first overall pick has been so bad that the Halos should just move on without him.

LA Angels should designate Mickey Moniak for assignment

While Detmers has minor-league options remaining, Moniak does not. That means, in order to send the 26-year-old down to Triple-A, the Halos would have to designate Moniak for assignment. That would expose Moniak to waivers, but considering he owns a .167/.203/.242 slash line, teams are not going to be lining up in order to submit a claim.

Moniak was last optioned to the minors in 2022 and has yet to be DFA'd. Under MLB rules, since Moniak has less than three years of service time and has never been designated for assignment, unless he's claimed by another club, the Angels can outright him to Triple-A Salt Lake.

This may seem like a rather drastic decision on the part of the Angels, but LA is being led by a resurgent Jo Adell and the hot-hitting duo of Kevin Pillar and Taylor Ward in the outfield. Even Willie Calhoun and Cole Tucker have earned more playing time at this juncture, there's no reason to keep Moniak on the roster.

Outrighting Moniak to the Salt Lake Bees would allow the Halos to see if there's any reason to keep the outfielder around beyond the 2024 season. While Moniak displayed a lot of power in 2023, he also swung and missed far too often. This season, Moniak has a 28% strikeout rate and a 24 wRC+ according to FanGraphs.

It's time for the Halos to give Moniak the exact same treatment as Detmers and send him to the minor leagues to figure things out, assuming he clears waivers. If another team submits a claim, he's no longer the Angels' problem. Win-win.

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