Predicting 3 LA Angels who survived the trade deadline but won't be back next season

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The MLB Trade Deadline has come and gone and the Los Angeles Angels were quite active. Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez were the first duo to come to the Halos in a trade with the White Sox, and a couple of days later Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron joined them. On deadline day we saw Tucker Davidson depart for cash, and we saw the Angels acquire Dominic Leone in an effort to sure up their bullpen.

With what they had, the Angels did a good job building a roster that can compete for a playoff spot. The odds are stacked against them with the team trailing in the division by 5.5 games and in the Wild Card race by three games. Still, they have a chance.

There were three players I felt had a slight chance to be moved at the deadline and weren't. It's great to see them still here, but it's hard to see them wearing an Angels uniform next season.

1) LA Angels outfielder Hunter Renfroe survived the trade deadline but won't be back next season

If he hadn't turned his season around the last week I truly believe there was a chance Hunter Renfroe would've been gone by deadline day. After a hot start to his Angels career Renfroe went through a long slump which caused him to drop in the batting order and lose the trust of the fan base.

In his last six games prior to the trade deadline, Renfroe recorded 11 hits in 23 at-bats with two home runs and five RBI. He had four multi-hit games and three three-hit games. He also smacked three doubles. Renfroe hit the key home run to help the Angels win a game in Toronto, and he also had big performances in both games of the double header in Detroit.

Renfroe has always been a streaky hitter, so to see him finally get hot again was a great sign. Had he not shown those signs, I think the Angels might've looked for yet another bat in addition to Grichuk and Cron just because Renfroe wasn't reliable enough.

The veteran outfielder is in the final year of team control so he will be a free agent after the season. While the Angels certainly can bring him back, it's hard to see the fit.

When healthy, it feels rather clear that Mike Trout, Mickey Moniak, and Taylor Ward will be the three outfielders for the Angels. It's highly unlikely we see these three together again this season due to Ward's injury, but next season that's the projected outfield. Even with Renfroe's down year, he's not going to sign back to be a fourth outfielder. Plus, with the Angels needing to eventually figure out what they want to do with minor leaguers like Jo Adell and Jordyn Adams those are two more outfielders in the mix.

Hopefully Renfroe finishes strong and helps the Angels squeak into the playoffs. The Angels definitely need him with all of the injuries.

2) LA Angels infielder Eduardo Escobar survived the trade deadline but won't be back next season

The Angels acquired Eduardo Escobar in a trade with the Mets when they needed another infielder. Gio Urshela was out for the year while Anthony Rendon and Zach Neto were hurt. Escobar is a versatile switch-hitting infielder who the Angels felt could help them. His impact was felt immediately as he recorded back-to-back multi-hit games in his first two games as an Angel. Outside of those two games, he hasn't really done much.

Overall, he's slashing .238/.279/.313 with one home run and eight RBI in 23 games as an Angel. Escobar is a player known for his power, yet he only has three extra-base hits in 80 at-bats as an Angel.

Escobar has played most of the time mainly due to the fact that Urshela, Rendon, and Brandon Drury are all on the IL. Urshela won't be returning, but both Rendon and Drury will. In fact, Drury is slated to return when the Angels return home tomorrow.

With Luis Rengifo swinging a hot bat, he's jumped ahead of Escobar on the depth chart. The Angels also have C.J. Cron and Mike Moustakas who rank ahead of Escobar as well. Escobar will likely get some starts against left-handed pitching, but other than that, when healthy, it's hard to see him playing much. That's why I felt there was a shot he'd be moved.

Escobar was not moved, and has a club option for $9 million for next season. It's almost certain that won't be picked up. He can likely find a larger role for 2024 elsewhere.

3) Aaron Loup survived the trade deadline but won't be back next season

At multiple points this season it felt like Aaron Loup was going to suffer the same fate that Ryan Tepera dealt with. Tepera was DFA'd following his struggles, and eventually, it felt like Loup was going to be gone as well.

Loup had failed to come close to meeting expectations set from the contract he signed prior to last season to join the Halos, but Perry Minasian was going to give him another chance to prove himself.

Loup had an ERA of 7.00 before being placed on the IL in early May with a hamstring strain. Since returning, he's been a whole lot better.

The veteran southpaw has a 4.15 ERA in his last 24 appearances, and that's really spiked from one rough outing at Dodger Stadium in which he allowed four runs in an inning. Loup has only allowed six additional runs outside of that one outing in his last 20.2 innings of work.

Loup's rough start made him available at a certain point closer to the deadline, but him proving to be an effective arm made the Angels hold onto him. Loup has a club option for $7.5 million which the Angels will likely decline, making him a free agent. Declining an option doesn't force them to let him walk, but I do believe they'll try to find a younger, better arm to take his spot in 2024.

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