The Angels announced that they have declined club options on left-hander Aaron Loup and infielder Eduardo Escobar. Both will now become free agents, with Loup receiving a $2.5MM buyout instead of a $7.5MM salary for 2024, while Escobar receives a buyout of $500K instead of a $9MM salary.
Neither move comes as a surprise. Loup posted a remarkable 0.95 ERA in 2021 and parlayed that into a two-year, $17MM deal going into 2022. His first year with the Halos was fine, resulting in a 3.84 ERA, but that figure jumped to 6.10 in 2023. There may have been some bad luck in his poor results this year, with a .373 batting average on balls in play and 63.6% strand rate, but his strikeout rate has also been declining. He fanned 26.1% of batters in that strong 2021 campaign but that rate dropped to 20% and then 19.5% in the two most recent seasons. He also finished the 2023 campaign on the injured list with a left shoulder strain.
The Halos acquired Escobar in a midseason trade with the Mets. They hoped the veteran switch-hitter would stabilize an infield that had been wrecked by injury. It didn’t go as planned, with Escobar stumbling to a .219/.259/.303 slash in 189 plate appearances. Combined with a slow start in Queens, he managed just a .226/.269/.344 line over 100 games on the season.
Lefty relief and third base both stand as areas the Angels could try to address this offseason. They don’t have any left-handers who are guaranteed spots in the season-opening bullpen, with the likes of Kolton Ingram and Kenny Rosenberg projecting as their top options. Anthony Rendon is the ostensible starter at third base, although he’s coming off another disappointing year marred by injury.
Zero percent surprised and 100% needed.
So you’re saying that these moves didn’t exactly throw you for a Loup?
Feeling Loupy now!
I don’t know the particulars of his contract but Why wasn’t Loup either traded at the deadline or simply released to waivers like all the others if they weren’t going to exercise the option? Seems like Minasian could have gotten something for him
Loup was pitching horribly prior to the deadline and was in mop up duty. He had absolutely no trade value, especially not at $7.5 million per year.
However, the bullpen was ravaged by injury and we needed mop up innings. Loup did pitch better for a bit after the deadline but in no way well enough to entice somebody to claim him and his salary on waivers.
He was simply sunk cost on a team going nowhere so he got to play out the string.
Thank God!!
What? Totally unexpected.
Will be strange not seeing Loup entering practically every game next year, or at least warming up to come in. Not since the Dodgers’ Omar Daal has a bullpen lefty gotten that kinda work game in, game out.
“Everyday” Eddie Guardado has them both beat
This should be the start of getting rid of the dead weight. We hang onto guys way too long thinking their flash of greatness is their new normal when it was just a momentary flash. It’s time for Moreno to get serious about putting a team together that can get to the post season. It starts and ends with pithing.
The biggest problem the Angels have is they keep signing pitchers who have already had their best years. Take Anderson (please) he was coming off his best season with th Dodgers, an absolute outlier compared to his numbers for his career. This was Minasian’s blunder. The Angels fail year after year to develop their own pitching.
I disagree that Minasian is the problem. He doesn’t do anything in a vacuum without Moreno saying yes or no. The proof is the fact that our results are the same through several GMs. Moreno is the only constant for the past 20 years.
Right, Moreno has no interest in spending on scouting and player development. And he obviously won’t listen, but instead looks for the big splash. Where does that get us – Rendon the latest in a long line of over spending.
No wonder Dombrowski had no interest.
I think Minasian has done a great job of improving the talent of the players on the team. drafted well and developed well . I don’t agree with all his moves (Nevin), but they really had ALOT of injuries. Only 2 players made it thru the whole season without getting injured. Even Anderson is a guy that can be counted on to give you innings and is usually healthy.
I cringed every time Loup was brought into a game. Adios fellas. You guys both need to retire.