OC Register: Angels begin retooling for 2023 with series of trades, including $59 million in savings

[AngelsWin.com]

ANAHEIM — When the MLB trade deadline passed and Shohei Ohtani remained in the Angels’ clubhouse, it signaled that the club has no intention of rebuilding in 2023.

And one of the moves they did make – trading closer Raisel Iglesias and the $51 million remaining on his contract – left no doubt that they are creating space to reload for another run next year.

“I think it opens things up,” General Manager Perry Minasian said. “It opens us up a little bit for possibilities in the future.”

One of those things could be an extension for Ohtani, although Minasian wouldn’t engage in any discussion of that deal. Beyond simply having the money for Ohtani, the Angels are going to need to field a winning team if Ohtani is going to want to stay.

“I always feel a sense of urgency,” Minasian said. “We want to win here. That’s something we’ve talked about a lot, but I need to build a better roster. There’s no doubt about it. I think the locker room is very talented. There’s talent in there. There’s obviously established players, superstar players. And we’ve got to build a better supporting cast around them. We do.”

The first step toward building for the future occurred in a series of three trades executed in the hours before the deadline on Tuesday. They sent Iglesias to the Atlanta Braves for pitchers Tucker Davidson and Jesse Chavez. They sent outfielder Brandon Marsh to the Philadelphia Phillies for catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe, and they Noah Syndergaard to the Phillies in a separate deal, for outfielder Mickey Moniak and minor league outfielder Jadiel Sanchez.

Between the Iglesias and Syndergaard deals, the Angels freed up about $59 million worth of salary commitments.

Of the players they acquired, O’Hoppe seems to be the most impactful. He immediately becomes the Angels’ top prospect.

But the deal that could be the most important was the Iglesias trade because it had the biggest financial implications.

The Angels signed Iglesias to a four-year, $58 million deal last winter, after he’d been one of baseball’s best relievers while in an Angels uniform in 2021. Iglesias struggled this season, with a 4.04 ERA and a few notable blowups. Manager Phil Nevin said he will go with a committee at closer in the short term, with Ryan Tepera, Aaron Loup and José Quijada as the candidates.

The Braves were willing to take all of Iglesias’ remaining contract, which includes $3.6 million for the rest of this season and $16 million per season through the next three.

That could help create some space for signing Ohtani or other players to build around Ohtani, Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon.

Certainly, the financial aspect is the biggest part of that deal, but Minasian also said he sees value in Davidson, 26. He’s a controllable starting pitcher who the Braves trusted to start Game 5 of the World Series after Charlie Morton broke his leg in Game 1. Davidson has a 5.11 ERA in 37 major league innings and a 4.59 ERA this season at Triple-A.

Chavez, 38, has a 2.66 ERA in 44 innings with the Braves this season, pitching almost entirely out of the bullpen.

Chavez, Davidson and Moniak – a former No. 1 overall pick who has never found success in the major leagues – will all join the Angels in the upcoming days.

Moniak, 24, has a career .129 average with a .386 OPS in 93 big league at-bats. He is a left-handed hitter who plays all three outfield spots. Moniak is from Carlsbad, and he played with Phil Nevin’s oldest son, Tyler, when they were growing up in San Diego County.

O’Hoppe will report to Double-A, but he certainly could end up being the most important player acquired in any of these trades.

O’Hoppe, 22, was the third-ranked prospect in the Phillies’ system, according to both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. He was ranked No. 86 overall according to MLP Pipeline, which did not rank any Angels prospects in the top 100.

O’Hoppe (pronounced oh-HOP-ee) played this year in the Futures Game. He was hitting .269 with an .877 OPS at Double-A.

He was the Phillies’ 23rd-round pick in 2018. After not playing at all in 2020, when the pandemic wiped out the minor league seasons, he rose from Class-A to Triple-A in 2021. He has spent all of this season at Double-A.

The Angels had to part with Marsh to get O’Hoppe. Marsh had been one of the Angels’ top prospects, and he was playing Gold Glove-caliber defense this season. He had struggled at the plate, though, hitting .226 with a .637 OPS. He has the highest strikeout rate in the majors.

Marsh also represented the Angels’ best center field insurance for Trout, who is currently out with a back problem. Minasian said he’s not concerned about Trout’s availability.

“I see him in center field for the foreseeable future,” Minasian said, adding that “I fully expect him to play again this season.”

Minasian said he felt it was worth it to give up on Marsh’s future in exchange for O’Hoppe.

“You have to give to get, and the catching position for me is the most important position on the club,” Minasian said. “We really liked what we got back. Logan’s an outstanding individual. The makeup is off the charts.”

Minasian said that having Max Stassi signed for two more years is not a hindrance to O’Hoppe, because there will be enough playing time for both of them.

Finally, the Angels received Sanchez in the Syndergaard trade. Sanchez, 21, is a switch hitter who can play all three outfield positions. He has a career .699 OPS in the minors, including a .714 mark this season at Class-A. Sanchez was assigned to the Angels low-A Inland Empire team.

The Angels might have been hard-pressed to get much for Syndergaard because he is a free agent at the end of the season, and owed another $7.6 million for this season. The Phillies are taking all of his remaining salary. Syndergaard had posted a 3.83 ERA in 80 innings.

For the Angels, dealing away Syndergaard, Marsh and Iglesias was the result of a season gone off the rails.

The Angels had high hopes of contending this season, and they were 27-17 in late May before crashing. They reached the deadline with a 43-59 record, trailing by 11 games in the race for the third wild card spot with 60 games to go.

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“It’s tough,” Minasian said. “It’s not fun trading really good players. We haven’t played well. And just kind of looking at where we’re at and what we want to do going forward and identifying some of our needs, we felt this was the best direction to go.”

NOTES

The Angels called up Jose Rojas and designated David MacKinnon for assignment, filling one of the vacated roster spots for Tuesday’s game. They otherwise played with two empty spots on the roster. …

Janson Junk will start on Thursday, which would have been José Suarez’s turn if Suarez had not been moved up to start on Tuesday in Syndergaard’s place. …

The Angels announced that they signed 18 of the 19 players picked in last month’s draft, all except for 14th-round pick Sabin Ceballos, a catcher from San Jacinto College North.

UP NEXT

Angels (RHP Shohei Ohtani, 9-6, 2.81) vs. A’s (RHP James Kaprielian, 2-5, 4.50), Wednesday, 6:38 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM

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[Swordsman78]

If Perry says he has a “sense of urgency” then Nevin will be managing next year.   Nobody is as fierce as Nevin on a game by game basis.

[BTH]

One question I have that I don't see an answer to is what did the Angels like about Moniak and Sanchez that made them targets in the Syndergaard trade?

Sanchez may just be a prospect flier, but what about Moniak? Did the Angels just take him to take a gamble on him or do they see tangible qualities/metrics in him that made him a desirable acquisition.

Did Perry speak about any of this, @Jeff Fletcher?

 

[TroutField]

4 minutes ago, Trendon said:

One question I have that I don't see an answer to is what did the Angels like about Moniak and Sanchez that made them targets in the Syndergaard trade?

Sanchez may just be a prospect flier, but what about Moniak? Did the Angels just take him to take a gamble on him or do they see tangible qualities/metrics in him that made him a desirable acquisition.

Did Perry speak about any of this, @Jeff Fletcher?

 

Come on let’s be real 

[Jeff Fletcher]

2 hours ago, Trendon said:

One question I have that I don't see an answer to is what did the Angels like about Moniak and Sanchez that made them targets in the Syndergaard trade?

Sanchez may just be a prospect flier, but what about Moniak? Did the Angels just take him to take a gamble on him or do they see tangible qualities/metrics in him that made him a desirable acquisition.

Did Perry speak about any of this, @Jeff Fletcher?

 

Not really in any great detail. Just that he’s got talent, still young, new environment, etc etc. 

[ScottT]

I'm not sure they'll spend all of it.

I certainly don't trust them to spend it well.

Even if they do... I don't think it'll be enough 

[REDneck]

Hope once again springs eternal in AZ ...blah blah blah

[WicketMaiden]

9 hours ago, Swordsman78 said:

If Perry says he has a “sense of urgency” then Nevin will be managing next year.   Nobody is as fierce as Nevin on a game by game basis.

Are you a relative of Nevin? Based on a tiny sample size of pretty much complete failure, I can't see why you are so vehemently defending him.

[Robrock30]

6 hours ago, Trendon said:

One question I have that I don't see an answer to is what did the Angels like about Moniak and Sanchez that made them targets in the Syndergaard trade?

Sanchez may just be a prospect flier, but what about Moniak? Did the Angels just take him to take a gamble on him or do they see tangible qualities/metrics in him that made him a desirable acquisition.

Did Perry speak about any of this, @Jeff Fletcher?

 

Mickey Moniak had great ST stats, won the starting CF position but was derailed by an injury.  

https://www.mlb.com/angels/player/mickey-moniak-666160

 

[Robrock30]

Disappointed in losing Brandon Marsh who has massive potential and was likeable.

His defense was plus and his offense will greatly improve in the band box known as Citizens Bank Park. 

[Jason]

2 minutes ago, Robrock30 said:

Disappointed in losing Brandon Marsh who has massive potential and was likeable.

His defense was plus and his offense will greatly improve in the band box known as Citizens Bank Park. 

Playing in a band box doesn’t matter if he can’t make contact. I do think he will improve but i suspect he’ll be a fringe, bench/depth type player 

[Robrock30]

44 minutes ago, Jason said:

Playing in a band box doesn’t matter if he can’t make contact. I do think he will improve but i suspect he’ll be a fringe, bench/depth type player 

Nah Marsh will be their starting CF as they designated Odubal Herrera.

 

[Angels 1961]

5 hours ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

Not really in any great detail. Just that he’s got talent, still young, new environment, etc etc. 

Where is this team headed? Off season goals?

[Jason]

39 minutes ago, Robrock30 said:

Nah Marsh will be their starting CF as they designated Odubal Herrera.

 

I'm sure he will be but that doesn't mean he will produce offensively 

[AngelsFaninGA]

Ah yes, time to "retool" just as we've done highly successfully for the last decade

[TroutField]

2 hours ago, Jason said:

Playing in a band box doesn’t matter if he can’t make contact. I do think he will improve but i suspect he’ll be a fringe, bench/depth type player 

I disagree. 
 

I see us kicking ourselves a few years down the road for cutting bait so quickly. 
He’s going to hit at some point and when it clicks, he’s going to be good. 

[Jason]

3 minutes ago, TroutField said:

I disagree. 
 

I see us kicking ourselves a few years down the road for cutting bait so quickly. 
He’s going to hit at some point and when it clicks, he’s going to be good. 

Maybe 

[Jeff Fletcher]

1 hour ago, Angels 1961 said:

Where is this team headed? Off season goals?

Again, he didn’t break things down specifically (that will happen as we get closer to the end of the season or shortly in October) but he made it clear he is going to try to make them a contender next season. He said they need more depth. 

[T.G.]

1 hour ago, AngelsFaninGA said:

Ah yes, time to "retool" just as we've done highly successfully for the last decade

Sometimes people are unsuccessful until one day, they're not any more. They find success because they keep trying, learn from their mistakes and get better.

Edited August 3, 2022 by T.G.

[AngelsFaninGA]

2 minutes ago, T.G. said:

Sometimes people are unsuccessful until one day, they're not any more. They find success because they keep trying, learn from their mistakes and get better.

But seriously though, it's not like things will change so hoping for the best is our only option

[eligrba]

Can someone with knowledge about prospects compare what the Angels received from the Syndergaard trade to what they could have drafted had Syndergaard not been signed?

 

My gut tells me that even though the return was meh, it was better than the potential draft pick.

[DMVol]

2 minutes ago, eligrba said:

Can someone with knowledge about prospects compare what the Angels received from the Syndergaard trade to what they could have drafted had Syndergaard not been signed?

 

My gut tells me that even though the return was meh, it was better than the potential draft pick.

Depends on who you pick….we haven’t exactly knocked it out of the park with our early round picks….

[BTH]

14 minutes ago, eligrba said:

Can someone with knowledge about prospects compare what the Angels received from the Syndergaard trade to what they could have drafted had Syndergaard not been signed?

 

My gut tells me that even though the return was meh, it was better than the potential draft pick.

FanGraphs rated the two players the Angels got back for Syndergaard as 40 FV players.

The pick the Angels would’ve had if they didn’t sign Syndergaard was #52 overall. The players who went within the next 5-10 picks of #52 overall are rated by FanGraphs as 45 FV or 40+ FV prospects. (6 of the next 10 picks were pitchers)

FanGraphs values 40 FV hitters at $2M, 40+ FV pitchers at $3M, 40+ FV hitters at $4M, 45 FV pitchers at $4M, and 45 FV hitters at $6M.

So if the Angels would’ve drafted a 45 FV pitcher valued at $4M, they essentially broke even since they got two 40 FV hitters valued at $2M each.

Now, there are certainly other factors and elements at play. Such as bonus pools, quantity vs. quality, MMB readiness, etc. but this provides a rough estimate.

[Deek]

2 hours ago, eligrba said:

Can someone with knowledge about prospects compare what the Angels received from the Syndergaard trade to what they could have drafted had Syndergaard not been signed?

 

My gut tells me that even though the return was meh, it was better than the potential draft pick.

They received a former number one overall pick... And a high-ceiling single-A outfielder...

They wouldn't have received a #1 overall pick - and certainly not 2 picks, had Syndergaard walked...

[Swordsman78]

11 hours ago, WicketMaiden said:

Are you a relative of Nevin? Based on a tiny sample size of pretty much complete failure, I can't see why you are so vehemently defending him.

No I am not.  Just providing some balance to the num nut comments from the old timer posters who want to "fire everyone".   The problem  is that the players are not executing well is several phases of the game.   That is on them.  This is PROFESSIONAL BALL, not high school.

Nevin is holding the players accountable while not public ally criticizing them.

 

Did you see Gallego go out and coach Ward up after Ward loafed and got thrown out at 2nd after the dropped pop fly?