- The Angels are nearing a decision point about Anthony Rendon, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Rendon has missed four games because of the same wrist that caused him to miss 12 games earlier this month. If he can’t get back in the lineup soon, the Angels won’t have much choice but to put him back on the shelf. A litany of setbacks has kept Rendon from achieving his Nationals form over his three-year tenure with the Angels. So far this season, he was slashing .228/.324/.383, not a bad mark overall (106 wRC+), though still lacking in the power department.
Angels Rumors
Latest On Angels’ Extension Talks With Ohtani
Back in January it was reported that the Angels and two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani had yet to engage in long-term extension talks. In his latest piece, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Angels had “informal discussions” with Ohtani’s representatives late in spring training that may hint at what the hybrid player’s next contract looks like. Specifically, Ohtani’s camp indicated that any contract would have to award the reigning MVP a record average salary, currently held by Max Scherzer with an annual $43.3MM salary courtesy of the Mets.
Rosenthal notes that the Angels were, at the time, reluctant to offer a market value deal of length to Ohtani at the presumed apex of his value. The team may very well be running out of time to lock up another superstar, but he remains under control another year via arbitration and was always unlikely to accept a discounted extension on the heels of an 8.1fWAR season. It can certainly be reasoned then that the franchise is looking for Ohtani to come down from his great 2021 heights to make the hit of his next contract slightly less monumental.
Through 61 games this season the 27-year-old is off his MVP-pace from the year prior, but it would be disingenuous to suggest he’s hampered his value much with 13 home runs and a solid .260/.336/.481 (133 OPS+) batting line. Even his rotation work remains decidedly above average, with strong peripherals and an elite strikeout rate of 31.7% suggesting his 3.64 ERA is unluckily high.
In this regard, the Angels find themselves with a catch-22 on their hands. The more Ohtani performs, as he continues to do, the greater the team’s chances of reaching the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade. As Ohtani’s two-way excellence continues, however, the team is faced with a greater price tag that they may be hesitant to pay given their already top-heavy payroll.
For context, any contract that buys out Ohtani’s first free agent year will begin in 2024 when the Angels will have nearly $92MM devoted to just three players: Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, and Raisel Iglesias. When factoring in guaranteed salaries to both catcher Max Stassi and infielder David Fletcher that 2024 figure jumps to nearly $105MM, more than half of this year’s $190MM team payroll (per RosterResource). That leaves room for an eventual Ohtani contract, of course, though at a projected rate of $44MM+ it wouldn’t leave a ton of room to round out the rest of the roster.
Plenty of time remains until Ohtani secures an unfathomable payday, be it with the Halos or a competing club. Until then, the Angels and Ohtani have an unprecedented arbitration case to look forward to next offseason. And before that point, both parties will look to upend this season’ 29-34 record that can only serve to jeopardize a longer-term union between player and club.
Astros Claim Dillon Thomas From Angels
The Astros have claimed corner outfielder Dillon Thomas off waivers from the Angels, according to announcements from both teams. Fellow outfielder Jake Meyers has been transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Los Angeles also announced that reliever Ty Buttrey has passed through waivers unclaimed and been sent outright to Triple-A Salt Lake.
Thomas remains in the AL West, where he’ll look to reach the majors with a third separate team. The 29-year-old has gotten cups of coffee with the Mariners and Angels over the past couple seasons, but he’s appeared in just five total games. His stint in Anaheim was particularly brief. Thomas was selected to the majors last Wednesday while the club dealt with a brief absence for Mike Trout. He was on the active roster for three days, suiting up once, before being designated for assignment.
Signed by the Halos to a minor league contract over the winter, Thomas earned a 40-man spot with quality work in the upper levels of the system. The left-handed hitter posted a .295/.398/.489 mark with eight home runs across 211 plate appearances in Salt Lake. Thomas walked at a strong 10.9% clip against a roughly average 23.7% strikeout rate, apparently catching the attention of the Astros front office in the process.
While Thomas will start his organizational tenure in Sugar Land, the opportunity to earn a big league call with the Astros figures to be particularly sweet. Thomas is a Houston native who’d been committed to Texas A&M before signing with the Rockies out of Westbury Christian School a decade ago. He still has a pair of minor league option years, so he can bounce between Houston and Sugar Land for the next couple seasons if he holds a 40-man roster spot.
Meyers’ transfer makes room for Thomas, but it’s strictly a procedural move. The 25-year-old has been on the injured list all season while recovering from shoulder surgery. He’s already spent more than 60 days on the IL, so he’s still eligible to return whenever he’s ready from a health perspective. That figures to be in the coming days, as he’s spent the past couple weeks on a rehab assignment with the Space Cowboys.
Buttrey, meanwhile, sticks in the Angels organization but will no longer hold a spot on the 40-man roster. Initially designated for assignment when Thomas was called up, the righty will try to work his way back to the majors as a member of the Bees. Buttrey sat out the 2021 season after stepping away from the game, and he’s shown some signs of rust upon returning. Through 12 1/3 innings, he’s allowed nine runs while striking out just five.
Angels Make Several Roster Moves
The Angels have made five roster moves, including optioning outfielder Jo Adell and left-hander Jhonathan Diaz to Triple-A. Infielder Luis Rengifo returns from the paternity list, while the Halos also selected the contract of right-hander Davis Daniel. To create room for Daniel on the 40-man roster, Anaheim designated outfielder Dillon Thomas for assignment.
One of the game’s top prospects, Adell was first optioned to Triple-A in early May, and then called up again last week when Taylor Ward was placed on the 10-day IL. Adell posted a .902 OPS over 21 plate appearances during this latest stint, a positive showing considering how overmatched Adell has looked against MLB pitching since debuting back in 2020.
To that end, it is a little surprising to see Adell on the way back to the minors, yet it could simply be a case of roster construction. Ward has been recovering well from his hamstring strain and is aiming to return on Tuesday, while Mike Trout was back in the lineup today after missing three games with a sore groin. With less of a need in the outfield and with Shohei Ohtani monopolizing the DH spot, there isn’t a real everyday spot for Adell, and the Angels would prefer to see him get regular action in Triple-A rather than playing only sparingly in Los Angeles.
Thomas had his contract selected three days ago in another flurry of moves from the Angels, and the outfielder ended up appearing in one game during his cup of coffee on the active roster. The 29-year-old inked a minor league deal with Anaheim during the winter. Thomas has posted some big numbers at the Triple-A level for the Mariners’ and Angels’ affiliates in 2021-22, but that performance has only earned him five MLB games (the first five of his pro career). Primarily a corner outfielder with some experience in center, Thomas could possibly get the attention of another team in greater need of depth on the grass.
Today is Daniel’s 25th birthday, and he’ll receive an unforgettable gift in the form of his first call to the big leagues. A seventh-round pick for the Angels in the 2019 draft, Daniel has a 3.84 ERA over 161 2/3 innings in the minors, starting 31 of his 32 career games. This includes a 3.64 ERA over 47 Triple-A innings this season, though Daniel has a modest 19.3% strikeout rate.
Daniel could now be lined up for a start in the Angels’ six-man rotation, though it remains to be seen exactly how the Angels may reshuffle their pitching order with an off-day coming on Monday. An extra arm will be needed in some fashion, as the Halos have a doubleheader coming up on June 18.
Angels Select Dillon Thomas, Designate Ty Buttrey
The Angels have selected outfielder Dillon Thomas onto the major league roster, according to a club announcement. They’ve also recalled Jack Mayfield from Triple-A Salt Lake, optioned José Suarez and placed Luis Rengifo on the paternity list. Reliever Ty Buttrey has been designated for assignment to open space for Thomas on the 40-man roster.
Thomas inked a minor league contract with the Halos over the offseason. The 29-year-old has spent the year in Salt Lake and performed quite well, hitting .295/.398/.489 with eight home runs in 211 plate appearances. Thomas has drawn walks in a strong 10.9% of his trips while striking out at a roughly league average level (23.7%). It’s his second consecutive solid year of Triple-A work, as he posted a .269/.377/.448 line with the Mariners top affiliate in 2021.
Seattle gave Thomas a brief look at the MLB level last summer, getting him into four games. The Houston native will hope for a longer stay on the roster this time around, although he does have a pair of minor league option years remaining and can be moved between Anaheim and Salt Lake.
Thomas, who has some experience in center field but has spent most of his minor league career in the corners, adds some depth while the team plays things cautiously with Mike Trout. The three-time MVP left last night’s game early with left groin tightness. It doesn’t seem to be a concern, as team trainer Mike Frostad told reporters (including Sam Blum of the Athletic) that Trout is day-to-day. Juan Lagares will get the start in center field tonight, however.
Buttrey, meanwhile, loses his 40-man roster spot after struggling in Triple-A. He’s tossed 12 1/3 innings of nine-run ball, striking out only five batters while issuing a trio of walks. Buttrey has induced grounders on almost 60% of batted balls, but he wasn’t missing enough bats to be on the radar for an MLB call. The 29-year-old frankly acknowledged after his DFA (Twitter link) that he “(has) work to do to get myself back to peak form. … The best players will play and I’m not one of them yet. We will see what happens over the next few days, if not I’ll be back in Angel Stadium when the time is right.”
It’s not especially surprising that Buttrey hasn’t been at top form to this point, as he’s making his way back after sitting out the 2021 campaign. The right-hander stepped away from the game last April, saying at the time he’d begun to lose his passion and love for the sport. After a year away, Buttrey embarked on a comeback in January, and he’s occupied a spot on the 40-man roster since April.
The Angels will now have a week to trade Buttrey or try to run him through outright waivers. He struggled to a 5.81 ERA over 26 1/3 big league frames during the shortened 2020 season, but he’d posted a 3.98 mark with a quality 27.2% strikeout rate in 2019.
Mike Trout Exits Game With Groin Tightness
June 8: Trout told reporters after the game that he cramped up while legging out his double and felt it better to be cautious (link via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times). Trout called the injury “nothing crazy,” and the Angels, notably, do not have an MRI scheduled for today. They’ll see how Trout is feeling this morning before taking any further steps.
June 7: Mike Trout exited tonight’s game between the Angels and Red Sox in the third inning due to what the team later announced as left groin tightness. Trout stung a double into center field but was replaced a few pitches later by Jo Adell, who came into the game as a pinch-runner.
Trout has started 50 of the Halos’ first 56 games, with 48 of those nods coming in his typical center field position. The three-time MVP is having another incredible campaign, exiting play tonight with a .284/.388/.601 slash line with 14 home runs. Among qualified hitters, only Aaron Judge, José Ramírez, Paul Goldschmidt and Yordan Álvarez entered the night with a better wRC+ than Trout’s 183 — indicating he’s been 83 percentage points better than the league average batter.
The Angels are mired in a 12-game losing streak that has dropped them a couple games below .500. That skid already contributed to the team’s decision to dismiss manager Joe Maddon this afternoon. Nevertheless, the Halos entered play tonight only a game and a half back of the American League’s final playoff spot — a reflection of the club’s excellent play through the season’s first month-plus.
There’s no indication at this point that Trout’s removal was anything more than a precautionary measure. The Halos will surely provide more information on his status following tonight’s contest. Los Angeles is currently without Taylor Ward, Anthony Rendon and David Fletcher, thinning the position player mix and no doubt contributing to the team’s recent downturn.
Angels Fire Joe Maddon
Joe Maddon is out in Anaheim, as the Angels announced Tuesday afternoon he’d been relieved of his managerial duties. Third base coach Phil Nevin will take over on an interim basis. Maddon had been in the final guaranteed season of his contract, and Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes the club will owe him a $1MM buyout on a 2023 option.
Shortly after the news broke, Maddon spoke with Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. He expressed “a lot” of surprise with the decision, conceding that the team’s recent play had been disappointing but opining there “wasn’t an issue of camaraderie or lack of leadership.” Asked point blank whether he wanted to continue managing, the 68-year-old replied “Of course I want to manage. I’m really good at it.”
The change comes as the Halos are mired in a disastrous stretch. Los Angeles is currently amidst a 12-game losing streak, one that has seen the club fall two games under .500. The Angels had started the season as one of the hottest teams in the major leagues, but their dreadful past couple of weeks has dropped them eight and a half games behind the Astros in the American League West. They enter play Tuesday tied with the White Sox for the AL’s eighth-best record overall.
A midseason dismissal is certainly not the result the Halos envisioned when they first hired Maddon during the 2019-20 offseason. Los Angeles signed him to a three-year, $12MM guarantee within days of the veteran manager’s departure from the Cubs. The Angels ousted former skipper Brad Ausmus after just one season, bringing Maddon aboard in hopes he’d be able to replicate the success he’d experienced in his previous stops.
That hiring was overseen by former general manager Billy Eppler, with owner Arte Moreno reportedly playing a significant role in the search process. The Angels dismissed Eppler just one year later, hiring Perry Minasian to oversee baseball operations. How notable it is that Minasian wasn’t involved in Maddon’s hiring isn’t clear, but the organization declined to discuss an extension last winter even as Maddon entered the final guaranteed year of his deal.
Maddon has been an MLB manager for 17 straight seasons, with his first permanent position coming at the helm of the 2006 Devil Rays. Tampa Bay scuffled through a pair of last-place finishes to start his tenure, but they reeled off six straight winning seasons between 2008-13. The Rays won the AL pennant in 2008, a season in which Maddon claimed the first of three Manager of the Year nods. After the 2014 season, Maddon and the Rays went their separate ways, and he took over an ascending team on the north side of Chicago.
Over five seasons with the Cubs, Maddon oversaw four playoff appearances. The highlight was a 103-win 2016 campaign that culminated in the franchise’s curse-snapping World Series title. While the team never reached the dynastic heights some had expected, they were consistently effective. Chicago played above .500 ball in all five of Maddon’s years at the helm, a stretch that coincided with four losing seasons for the Angels.
The Angels hoped he’d continue those winning ways in Southern California, but the team hasn’t managed to break through. Despite the presence of Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Anthony Rendon and breakout position players like Jared Walsh and Taylor Ward, the Angels lost more games than they won with Maddon at the helm. Los Angeles went just 26-34 during the shortened 2020 season, then slumped to a 77-85 finish last year. While their strong April made it seem as if 2022 might be their long-awaited breakout, the past two weeks have instead brought Maddon’s tenure in Orange County to an unceremonious end.
One can’t simply attribute the entirety of any team’s underperformance to the manager, and Maddon’s Angels are no exception. The club was dealt a massive blow last season when Trout suffered a May calf strain that ultimately proved to be season-ending. They’ve had a top-heavy roster throughout Maddon’s tenure, with the back of the rotation and bottom of the order often struggling to such an extent that MVP-caliber play from Trout and Ohtani (and Ward thus far in 2022) hasn’t been enough to get the team back to the postseason.
To some extent, the Angels have addressed the rotation woes that have been one of the organization’s recent downfalls. Los Angeles ranks 12th in rotation ERA (3.77) despite an underwhelming 20.8% strikeout rate. That’s solid enough run prevention from the starting staff, but the Halo bullpen is tied for the MLB lead with 12 blown saves.
The lineup has been effective overall, but the Angels’ somewhat curious decision not to address the middle infield this past winter has proven problematic. Tyler Wade and Andrew Velazquez have offered next to nothing offensively, and they’ve been forced into larger than expected roles by a pair of David Fletcher injured list stints. Ward and Rendon are also on the IL, and the club’s depth options haven’t performed of late. Over the past two weeks, the team is hitting a woeful .228/.287/.334.
All that said, the season certainly isn’t lost for the Halos. Their strong early work served both to illustrate the roster’s capacity for better play — particularly with Ward and Rendon healthy — and bought them enough room in the standings that they’re still right in the thick of the Wild Card race. The Angels sit just a game and a half out of the final playoff spot, and there’s still plenty of time for the club to make a push if they can break out of their current swoon.
It’ll be Nevin who’s tasked with leading those efforts. The 51-year-old just joined the organization this past offseason, signing on as third base coach. That came on the heels of a four-year run serving as third base coach in the Bronx under Aaron Boone. After the Yankees declined to renew Nevin’s contract last winter, he made the jump to Anaheim and will now get his first shot in a major league manager’s chair.
Nevin is a household name in spite of his lack of managerial experience, as he spent more than a decade as a player in the major leagues. The first overall pick in the 1992 amateur draft, he suited up with seven teams over parts of 12 big league seasons between 1995-2006. Nevin earned an All-Star nod during a 2001 campaign with the Padres in which he hit 41 home runs, and he twice earned down-ballot MVP support during his time in San Diego. All told, he collected more than 1100 hits and 200 longballs during his MLB run.
Since hanging up his spikes, Nevin has bounced between a handful of organizations during a lengthy run as a coach and minor league skipper. He managed in the Tigers’ and Diamondbacks’ farm systems for a few seasons, reaching as high as Triple-A in that role. Heading into the 2017 season, Nevin made the jump to MLB coaching as Giants’ third base coach before his stints with the Yankees and Angels. He’s drawn consideration for various managerial posts in years past — most recently interviewing with the Tigers during the 2020-21 offseason for the position that ultimately went to A.J. Hinch — but his first position will come an interim basis.
Whether Nevin is in consideration for a permanent position presumably depends on how the team fares over the coming months. The Angels join the Phillies — who replaced Joe Girardi with Rob Thomson last week — as teams going with interim skippers for the 2022 campaign.
Buster Olney of ESPN reported shortly before the team announcement that a managerial change was under consideration.
Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Angels Place Taylor Ward On IL, Recall Jo Adell
The Angels have announced that outfielder Taylor Ward has been placed on the 10-day IL, categorizing his injury as a mild right hamstring strain. The move is retroactive to June 4. Fellow outfielder Jo Adell has been recalled to take his place on the roster.
Ward was one of the most pleasant surprises of the first few weeks of the season. Through May 2o, he was hitting an astounding .370/.481/.713 for a wRC+ of 242. Since then, however, a couple of injuries have slowed him down. He collided with the outfield wall while making a catch in the club’s game on May 20, causing some pain in his neck and shoulder. He eventually returned to action, but this hamstring issue flared up. Between the two maladies, he’s only been able to make 27 plate appearances over the past two weeks, hitting .167/.259/.333 in that time.
It doesn’t seem Ward is in line for an extended absence, as manager Joe Maddon tells reporters, including Sam Blum of The Athletic, that they’re hoping he’ll miss “minimal time.” While he’s out, Adell will step in and take another shot at finding success in the big leagues. Over the past few seasons, Adell has tantalized with excellent production in the minors but hasn’t yet been able to get into a groove at the MLB level. In 92 games over the past three seasons, his career batting line is .207/.249/.351, 63 wRC+.
Much like Ward, the Angels jumped out to a hot start but have been slowed recently. They are currently mired in a 10-game losing streak that has dropped their record to 27-27. Despite that awful slump, they’re still in possession of the final Wild Card playoff spot in the American League, though four teams are within a game and a half of them.
Angels Outright Mike Mayers
- Right-hander Mike Mayers went unclaimed on outright waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Salt Lake by the Angels. While he has enough service time to reject that assignment in favor of free agency, Sam Blum of The Athletic tweets that Mayers has accepted the assignment. That’s entirely unsurprising, because although Mayers has sufficient service time to reject the outright, he does not have the requisite five years of service time needed to also retain the remainder of his salary upon rejection. In other words, rejecting the assignment would’ve meant forfeiting the remainder of this year’s $2.15MM salary. Mayers, 30, posted a 3.34 ERA, a 30.5% strikeout rate and an 8.0% walk rate in 105 innings with the Angels from 2020-21, leading to that $2.15MM payday in arbitration. The 2022 season has been a struggle, however. In 16 2/3 frames, he’s allowed four home runs and seen his strikeout rate plummet to 18.7% — all en route to a 5.40 ERA. The Angels designated him for assignment last week.
Angels Release Austin Romine
The Angels have released catcher Austin Romine, according to his transactions log at MLB.com. Sam Blum of the Athletic tweets that the veteran backstop triggered an opt-out clause in his minor league deal. That left the Angels to decide whether to select him onto the 40-man roster or grant him his release.
Romine is one of a handful of veterans who have three automatic opt-out dates under the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement. Players who qualified for major league free agency at the end of last season — based on having six-plus years of big league service — who signed a minor league deal during the winter had opt-out possibilities on each of April 2 (five days before Opening Day), May 1 and June 1. Romine forewent his first two opt-out chances but triggered the final provision.
The 33-year-old will now head back out onto the open market in search of a new opportunity. As a catcher who has appeared in parts of 11 big league seasons, he shouldn’t have much trouble finding another minor league job elsewhere. A longtime backup with the Yankees, Romine has suited up with the Tigers, Cubs and Angels since leaving the Bronx. He’s a career .238/.276/.357 hitter over 437 MLB games.
Romine appeared in ten games with the Angels’ top affiliate in Salt Lake this season, hitting .273/.368/.394 with a homer in 39 trips to the plate. He also saw action in three big league contests as a designated COVID-19 substitute when the Angels lost both Max Stassi and Kurt Suzuki to the virus list last month. Romine was returned to the minors when that duo made it back onto the field, and Los Angeles will continue with the Stassi – Suzuki pairing.
