Shohei Ohtani and 3 other Angels who can earn themselves a big pay increase with a strong 2023 season

Shohei Ohtani is the guy every Los Angeles Angels fan expects to get paid handsomely this offseason (hopefully by the Angels). He's the best player in baseball and continues to add distance on the second best player after every game passes by.

Ohtani is going to get his $500+ million dollar deal in free agency, and could potentially get even more with another MVP season.

There're three different Angels players who, if they have big seasons, can see dramatic pay increases. Some more than others depending on how well they played or the status of their contracts, but these three players should see increases with good performances.

1) LA Angels pitcher Jose Suarez reaches arbitration for the first time next season

Jose Suarez is going to be a full-time starter for the first time this season and has the chance to see a big pay increase if he performs well.

If Suarez does perform well and shows he can be a part of the Halos rotation in 2024, he'll see a raise because he's entering arbitration for the first time.

Suarez won't be making the $40-50 million per season Shohei Ohtani is going to make, but he should see a big raise as he's making the league minimum this season.

Suarez is making $720,000 this season, and could double or even triple that if he pitches well this season. Most players in arbitration make over $1 million which is a pretty decent raise from where Suarez is at right now.

It's not enough for the southpaw to go around buying houses for everyone he knows, but it's certainly going to be enough for him to treat himself and a couple of other people to some nice things.

2) LA Angels outfielder Hunter Renfroe can power himself toward a bigger deal

Hunter Renfroe is making $11.9 million in his final year of team control. He will be a free agent after the season and should see a substantial pay raise considering how weak the outfield class is. Guys like Joc Pederson, Cody Bellinger, and Ian Happ headline a group of uninspiring names available for teams to sign.

Of the outfielders available, nobody is more consistent than Hunter Renfroe. The Angels outfielder has been a lock for 25+ home runs, reaching this mark in every full MLB season he's played in (excluding the shortened 2020 season).

Big power bats like that are extremely valuable and those that come with the throwing arm Renfroe has are even harder to find.

I don't expect Renfroe to get massive increases on an annual basis, but I do expect the totality of his deal to be far more than the $11.9 million he's making this season.

At 31years old, Renfroe can land a multi-year deal and double or even triple the amount he's currently set to make. This is all contingent on him producing like he always has this season, but there's no reason to expect him to fall off offensively.

I don't know if the Angels will be the team to do this with guys like Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell hopefully ready to make the jump, but it's not out of the question. If the Angels don't pay him, another team will.