The Los Angeles Angels are slowly figuring out their next moves after Shohei Ohtani agreed to terms on a 10-year, $700 million deal to leave Anaheim and join the L.A. Dodgers. General manager Perry Minasian has made it appear as though the Angels are in the business of competing for the postseason in 2024 with or without Ohtani, but all options remain open.
If the Angels do decide to go for it, they have a relatively strong group of core players to work with, including Luis Rengifo and Mickey Moniak, among others. Both players are coming off of strong campaigns in Anaheim, and although it hasn’t led to a winning effort, it’s not unreasonable to assume that a full season of health may yield better results.
But if the Angels prefer to turn the tables and become sellers, there is a reportedly high level of interest in several Angels players, including the aforementioned Rengifo and Moniak, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic:
The Angels’ own players drawing interest, according to major-league sources briefed on their discussions, include:
– Infielder Luis Rengifo
– Outfielder Taylor Ward
– Outfielder Mickey Moniak
– Catcher Matt Thaiss
– Left-hander José Suarez
All five of these players have, at times, shown the potential to be quality pieces on a winning baseball team. Rengifo is coming off of a career high .783 OPS in 2023 and has had at least 15 home runs and 50 RBI in back-to-back seasons.
Ward has posted an OPS above .750 in each of the last three seasons, including a career high .833 OPS in a breakout 2022 campaign. A facial injury limited him in 2023, but he is still seen as a relatively high-value trade piece league wide.
Moniak never found his footing with the Philadelphia Phillies, but did so immediately in Anaheim. He was one of the Angels’ best offensive players in 2023 despite only playing 85 games.
Thaiss and Suarez act as serviceable depth pieces in any organization, and the best part of all five of these players is the multiple years of cheap team control they each have remaining. So regardless of if the Angels decide to go for it or sell, they have a host of quality core players to work with.
And if they sell any or all of these five players, they can restock their farm system as they try to rebuild around Mike Trout and the young duo of Logan O’Hoppe and Zach Neto.
Angels sign Jake Marisnick
The Angels agreed to terms on a minor league contract with Jake Marisnick earlier this week, an 11-year pro who has spent time with nine different organizations but is most known for the six years he spent with the Houston Astros.
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