Former Angels outfielder being DFA'd shows they were right to let him go

One of the biggest moves the Los Angeles Angels made this offseason was their trade with the Brewers, acquiring Hunter Renfroe to complete what looked like one of, if not the best outfields in all of baseball.

Renfroe has been one of baseball's most consistent power hitters since debuting back in 2016, hitting at least 25 home runs in every full season from 2017-2022. He was coming off back-to-back really strong years with the Red Sox and Brewers setting the stage for him to have one good year with the Halos before hitting free agency.

As we all know, Renfroe really struggled with the Angels after April, and was let go on waivers in late-August along with five other Angels. The Reds claimed Renfroe off of waivers to try and help them make a postseason push, but his struggles carried over to Cincinnati and less than one month after being claimed, Renfroe has been DFA'd.

Former LA Angels outfielder Hunter Renfroe DFA'd by the Reds less than one month after they claimed him

The Angels have really collapsed since the deadline and things haven't been much better in September. The team has gone 4-12 this month after being swept on their home field by the Tigers, and have been eliminated from postseason contention. The Reds on the other hand, had a clear need for a guy like Renfroe.

The Reds are 78-73 and are currently just 0.5 games outside of the final Wild Card spot in the NL. Cutting a veteran like Renfroe who has such a good track record feels unheard of for a team in contention, but the Reds simply ran out of patience as he really struggled.

The veteran outfielder had just five hits in 39 at-bats in Cincinnati with 12 strikeouts. He hit just one home run as a Red, and that came in a game in which they were already losing 6-0. He finished off his Reds tenure recording one hit in his last 22 at-bats with 10 strikeouts.

The Angels missed with their Renfroe trade this season, but we've seen so many instances where a player struggles with the Angels only to carry a team immediately after moving on. Angels fans can feel a bit of relief this time that it might have been the player, not the team.