The Los Angeles Angels have just seven players with an already set contract figure for 2023. Anthony Rendon, Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Loup, Max Stassi, Ryan Tepera, and David Fletcher all know what they’re going to make next season.
However, there remain 30 players on the current 40-man roster that have yet to be given a contract for the 2023 campaign. A strong majority of that group is pre-arbitration, meaning they will either be tendered a contract by the Angels or not.
But seven players will get their first glimpse at contract negotiations with an MLB team, as the Angels have that many players entering their first year of arbitration. Some names like Taylor Ward and Patrick Sandoval are due for big raises because of this.
Shohei Ohtani already received his arbitration bump when he agreed to a one-year, $30 million contract with the Angels in the final days of the 2022 regular season.
Meanwhile, Jared Walsh figures to have a fascinating negotiation after being an All-Star in 2021, but facing an injury-plagued down year in 2022. Then, there’s players like Griffin Canning, who did not play in 2022 at all due to injury.
Here, we’ll show Spotrac’s projection of a 2023 salary and discuss whether their value has increased or decreased in the past year given their performance.
Arbitration-Eligible Players
SP Patrick Sandoval
Sandoval is projected to make $2.83 million in 2023 via Spotrac, but could see more than any non-Ohtani arbitration player. Entering his age-26 season, the Angels lefty had some difficulties with baserunners last year, but persevered to post a sub-3.00 ERA in 148.2 innings.
He struck out 151 batters and allowed just eight home runs all year. If he can lower his 1.339 WHIP closer to the 1.207 he had in 2021, he could quickly become one of the game’s best young pitchers and a staple of the Angels rotation.
RF Taylor Ward
Another player that figures to see a big raise, Spotrac projects Ward to make $3.19 million next season, slightly higher than Sandoval. It’s for good reason, as Ward was — in stretches — one of the best hitters in the American League in 2022.
For the season, Ward slashed .281/.360/.473, but this included a massive mid-season slump. In his first 42 games, he had an OPS of 1.008. In his last 28, it was 1.034. In the middle 65, he struggled mightily with a .639 OPS. But it’s still more likely the Angels pay him based on his best performance, not his worst.
1B Jared Walsh
Spotrac projects Walsh at $2.65 million next season, coming off of the worst season of his pro career. Although he played 118 games, he never quite looked like himself, and ultimately missed a big chunk of the season due to injury. And it’s believed the injury hindered him throughout 2022.
UTIL Luis Rengifo
The Gold Glove finalist and breakout middle infielder is projected to secure $2.5 million in 2023, but it’s arguable he deserves more after by far his best MLB campaign. While he lacked power — just a .429 slug — he had the best batting average and OPS of his career.
RP Jaime Barria
Quietly, Barria put up the best season of his career in his age-26 campaign. He posted a 2.61 ERA and 1.034 WHIP in 79.1 innings out of the bullpen. He was one of the more reliable relievers on a team that, at times, struggled to get production from that unit. Spotrac projects him at $1.5 million.
SP Griffin Canning
The Angels have not seen Canning pitch at the Major League level since 2021, and they have not seen him pitch all that well since 2020. He missed all of 2022 with injury and posted a 5.60 ERA his last stint in the Majors. Spotrac projects him at just $902,535 because of this.
C Chad Wallach
Wallach is projected to make $815,423 next season, but it’s unclear whether or not it will even be with the Angels. Between Stassi, Matt Thaiss, and Logan O’Hoppe, the Angels are more than set at the catcher position.
