Predicting who the Angels will non-tender before the deadline

The Angels have some decisions to make, and they will not be easy. With the non-tender deadline looming, they need to decide who on their 40-man roster is worth keeping heading into 2025.

The Angels have a large number of arbitration-eligible players to make decisions on. They already moved off of Griffin Canning, Matt Thaiss, and Carson Fulmer. The players who are locks to be tendered contracts are Taylor Ward, Luis Rengifo, José Quijada, Brock Burke, Jo Adell, and Reid Detmers, and Mickey Moniak.

A case could be made to non-tender Quijada, but the Angels need every bullpen arm they can get their hands on heading into 2025. Moniak could be gone as well given that he is out of minor league options and the Angels have a crowded outfield. As of now, Moniak provides defensive versatility and an athleticism that the Angels could utilize next season from a platoon role. They need every left-handed bat they have, and he is under club control through the 2027 season.

Patrick Sandoval is the big name to keep an eye on. It remains to be seen whether Sandoval can return to the mound next season, and the Angels are looking to compete. 2026 would be Sandoval's last year with the Angels before he hits free agency. Spotrac projects Sandoval's 2025 arbitration figure to be around $6 million, which the Angels could use off their books to continue stockpiling win-now assets this offseason.

The case to not non-tender Sandoval is that the Angels need to realistically look at their prospects of winning next season. Their aggression heading into 2025 is laudable, but the American League is stacked, the AL West is stacked, and they have a litany of more issues to address before they can even consider a playoff push. Keeping Sandoval would handicap Perry Minasian some this offseason, but if his Tommy John rehab goes well then he could be a valuable asset for the team in 2026--a more realistic year for the Angels breaking through. He was their Opening Day starter last season for a reason.

José Suarez is the other player to watch. Suarez has vacillated between looking extremely promising, and looking like a sunk cost who once had potential to be a staple of the starting rotation. He would only be due $1.2 million, but they have plenty of fill-in options for Suarez in 2025. The Angels could give extended long relief/emergency starter looks to Sam Bachman, Chase Silseth, Davis Daniel, Sam Aldegheri, or Jack Dashwood.

Prediction: the Angels non-tender both Sandoval and Suarez.

More LA Angels News from Halo Hangout