The Los Angeles Angels are going to add this offseason. That much has been made clear by general manager Perry Minasian and owner Arte Moreno this offseason. However, the question is more how much they add and where on the field do they make those additions. In the mean time, they have to be focused on smaller decisions like Jose Suarez and Griffin Canning.
Suarez, 26, and Canning, 28, are coming off of difficult 2024 seasons. Suarez posted a 6.02 ERA and 1.605 WHIP in 52.1 innings over 22 appearances. It signaled a slight improvement from 2023 but not enough to justify being a full-time Major League player.
Canning pitched the most innings of his career (171.2) but struggled to piece together quality stretches. He finished the year with a 5.19 ERA and 1.398 WHIP, leading the American League in earned runs (99).
Both are entering what is officially their third MLB campaign by service time rules, putting them in their final year of pre-arbitration and giving the Angels complete control over their contracts. And although neither one performed well in 2024, it is reportedly likely that both are back with the team next season, via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
Left-hander José Suarez and right-hander Griffin Canning are both coming off tough seasons but are still likely to be tendered contracts to remain with the organization. Neither is due for a significant raise, and the Angels can always use more pitching depth. The deadline is Nov. 22.
At this stage, there is no reason for the Angels not to tender contracts to these two players. Their starting rotation is by no means a finished product, and letting players walk for nothing is rarely good business.
However, it will be interesting to see what happens to the two players if the Angels can make some major acquisitions in the offseason, or if both find their way to be major parts of the Halos’ roster next season as well.
Angels’ Logan O’Hoppe felt some self-doubt
Logan O’Hoppe is a foundational piece of the future for the Angels. He is coming off of his first full-length season, playing 136 games and finishing with a .712 OPS. And a wholistic view of his season would tell that story and explain why Minasian and Moreno want to build in part around him.
But a closer look tells a tale of an uneven campaign for O’Hoppe, including a multi-week slump that he struggled to work through. In 21 games from Aug. 7-31, O’Hoppe batted .079 with a .267 OPS. He struck out in nearly half (48.1%) of his plate appearances.
And while he eventually broke through and finished the season on a stronger note, doubt started to creep in for the young catcher during the August slump.
