Several veterans on the Angels' 2023 roster got outrighted by the franchise back to the team's Triple-A affiliate on Monday.
Three familiar names opted for free agency rather than choosing to stay within the Halos organization for the 2024 season among the six who were moved: Jared Walsh, Jaime Barria and Brett Phillips.
Walsh's story with the Angels is perhaps the most notable among himself, Barria and Phillips due to his previous successes with the franchise.
The first baseman blossomed into an All-Star after a dominant first half in the 2021 season and joined Shohei Ohtani as Halos representatives in that year's midsummer classic.
Injuries in 2022 paired with a bout with insomnia and other mental struggles this season kept Walsh from seeing the field much in 2023.
The former All-Star made a nice return to the big league roster in September and his three home runs over the final two-plus weeks wrapped a nice bow on his individual comeback.
Phillips joined Walsh in September returns from a minor league stint earlier in the season after a rough beginning to his respective 2023 season.
After his own designation to the minor league team, Phillips never wavered in his play and made it back to the bigs in September like Walsh did.
In his final month of play the journeyman outfielder also clubbed three home runs as a small consolation for an overall poor 2023 season for the Halos.
Barria's 2023 was equally as poor without nearly as much consolation to end the season.
The former starter transitioned to a hybrid bullpen and starter role after a few poor outings that simply never got better.
He finished the year with an ERA near 6 and chose free agency over a stint with the Angels' minor league club.
If this is the last we've seen from each of these men as Halos we wish them well on the next stops for their respective baseball journeys.
As for Jhonathan Diaz, Chad Wallach and Carson Fulmer, they remain with the Halos' organization for now.
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