Angels Have Some Intriguing Arbitration Numbers Coming

The Los Angeles Angels have a total of 11 players who will be eligible for arbitration this season, and there are some interesting names and numbers involved, according to writer  Darragh McDonald of MLBTradeRumors.com as he compiled a list of such players for each team and included their projected salary numbers. 

The number of Angels eligible is a little on the high side, which isn’t surprising given that the Angels were a bad team that shuttled a lot of players on and off their roster. 

The complete list includes starter Reid Detmers, outfielders Jose Siri and Josh Lowe, catcher Tyler Heineman, reliever Tayler Saucedo, shortstop Zach Neto, starter Grayson Rodriguez, reliever Ben Joyce, first baseman Nolan Schanuel, infielder Oswald Peraza and reliever Sam Bachman. 

Here’s a rundown on the most interesting player and their accompanying numbers:

Zach Neto SS

Neto made $3.170 million, per McDonald, and his projected arbitration numbres is $9.8 million. Both of these numbers are abysmally low compared to Neto’s value on the market, as he hit 27 homers to go with 77 RBIs in a “down” year.

Neto was nearly traded at the deadline, but interim GM John Mozeliak indicated that he wasn’t impressed by the offers the Halos received for Neto. The big question going forward is whether whoever gets hired by the new ownership group sees Neto as a valued cornerstone player who’s worth extending, or a possible trade chip to get younger. What makes this decision especially intriguing is that the Angels have shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala waiting in the wings. 

Reid Detmers LHP

The left-hander made $4.159 million last season, with a projected number of $7.5 million. Once again, both numbers are very low, given that Detmers was able to make the transition from reliever to starter with success and then some as he became the ace of the staff. 

The same situation applies to Detmers regarding his trade value. Mozeliak didn’t like the offers he got for Detmers at the deadline, so he traded right-handed starter Jose Soriano instead. Is Detmers a top pitcher who deserves an extension, or is he, too, a trade chip who represents an asset in a complete rebuild?

Nolan Schanuel 1B

Schanuel’s a strange player. His expected salary is nearly identical to what he made this year, with the exact numbers being $3.045 million versus $3 million. The first baseman is an excellent contact hitter, but he doesn’t supply much power and he’s average defensively. He was nicked up a lot this year, and he’d be easy to move as a good player who’s not a cornerstone piece.