Will the Angels retain their 2024 Opening Day starter despite his year long absence?

Patrick Sandoval represents a fork in the road for the Los Angeles Angels.

The Angels will be increasing their spending in 2025, but Arte Moreno refuses to either pay the luxury tax or surpass their spending level in 2023. Perry Minasian and his team are making win-now moves, and will continue to do so throughout the course of the offseason.

Sandoval, who has two more arbitration-eligible years left before becoming a free agent, will be owed around $6.3 million in 2025. He will likely not pitch much, if at all, in 2025 while he rehabs from an elbow injury he sustained while pitching against the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani last season. That means his last year of arbitration in 2026 would not necessitate a giant raise due to a stellar 2025 performance. He will not contribute to winning at all, so will they keep him or non-tender their Opening Day starter?

Non-tendering Patrick Sandoval would hurt the Angels in the future

The Angels are not likely to make a giant leap next season, no matter how many trades Minasian makes with the Braves and Phillies. Their highest paid players have not showed that they can stay on the field. Mike Trout has shown that, even at his peak, he cannot put the Angels on his back and bring them to the playoffs. While the team has a multitude of promising, young players, the odds of them competing with their AL West rivals are slim. The Astros will retool and are feeling good about their ability to retain Alex Bregman, the Rangers had a miserable year but will likely rebound if their injury luck bounces back, and the Mariners have one of the best rotations in recent memory and, like the Angels, should increase their spending.

The Angels should definitely attempt a playoff bid next season, but not compromise their ability to compete in 2026. That should entail retaining Patrick Sandoval, despite the option of taking his $6 million and spending it on a player who could help them next year. Sandoval has one of the most unique pitch mixes in baseball, and an ability to miss barrels and generate soft contact. Furthermore, Sandoval is a popular teammate in the Angels clubhouse and an absolute gamer on the mound.

The Angels have issues all over their starting rotation. Tyler Anderson is aging and losing his effectiveness. Reid Detmers will have a good career, but it does not look like it will take place in Anaheim at this point in time. José Soriano and Jack Kochanowicz are great pitchers, but have yet to prove that they can hold up over the course of a full season.

Patrick Sandoval could help provide stability to a rotation and team that desperately needs it in 2026. Do not go for short-term gains over a long-term vision.

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