Every winter, a number of Major League Baseball players enter free agency and are looking for greener pastures. Granted, it's not as chaotic as the college football transfer portal, but there are still some notable players that switch teams during the offseason.
The Los Angeles Angels roster underwent some pretty significant changes this past offseason. There weren't many additions, and even the Halos' highest-priced free agent (Robert Stephenson) will miss the entire season.
For most Angels fans it was a winter they'd just as soon forget, but while losing the reigning AL MVP was certainly a blow, Shohei Ohtani was not the only player to leave Anaheim this past offseason.
How are these former LA Angels players doing with their new teams in 2024?
Gio Urshela, Tigers 3B
Urshela had an abbreviated stay with the Angels in 2023. A longtime New York Yankees infielder, Urshela came to LA by way of a trade with the Minnesota Twins. Urshela was supposed to be the Angels starting shortstop last season, but a pelvis fracture limited the infielder to just 62 games.
Urshela latched on with the Detroit Tigers this offseason and signed a one-year deal. He's currently on the IL but was hitting .298 on the season before injuring his hamstring. The 33-year-old is expected back in the Motor City soon, but will require a short rehab assignment first.
Randal Grichuk, Diamondbacks OF
Grichuk landed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason. The Snakes had lost Tommy Pham to free agency, and decided to supplement their roster with the former Angels outfielder.
Grichuck was a midseason trade acquisition from the Colorado Rockies a year ago and had a lot of success against left-handed pitching. Grichuk is having the same results in 2024 as well, and is acting as a platoon outfielder for the defending National League champions.
Reynaldo Lopez, Braves RHP
The Atlanta Braves are under the impression that Lopez is starting pitcher, not a reliever. The early results suggest they might be right. The right-hander agreed to a three-year, $30 million contract this past winter, but Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves' brass believed in Lopez as a starter.
To date, Lopez owns a 0.72 ERA four starts and has 24 punchouts in 25 innings of work so far this season. Atlanta is now without their ace, Spencer Strider, for the remainder of the 2024 season and will need big-time contributions from Lopez in order to achieve their World Series aspirations.
Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers DH
Yeah, yeah, yeah! We all know that the Los Angeles Dodgers did what everybody in baseball assumed they'd do. The Dodgers backed up the Brinks truck for Ohtani and handed the two-time AL MVP a $700 million check (sort of). The deferrals and how the money was allocated didn't sit well, not just with Angels fans, but most baseball fans not wearing Dodger blue.
But that's all the past, and Ohtani can haunt the Angels fans in their sleep for the next decade during the Freeway Series. Ohtani is, of course, living up to that massive contract he signed with the Dodgers. Despite the fact he's not pitching this season, Ohtani is still impacting the game in a major way with an OPS+ approaching 200.
Lucas Giolito, Red Sox RHP
Giolito's adventure in free agency ended in Boston. The one-time Angels pitcher, who would later join the Cleveland Guardians, signed a two-year deal with the Boston Red Sox this offseason. But the Red Sox will not be getting a return on their investment -- not this season anyway.
Giolito underwent season-ending elbow surgery and will miss his entire 2024 campaign. He was supposed to be Boston's big free agent acquisition, but instead, the Red Sox are trying to piecemeal together a rotation and compete in the extremely loaded AL East.