The Angels thought they had a stable answer behind the plate entering the season. By the end, catcher had become one of the messiest spots on the roster, and that’s saying something for a club that saw plenty of chaos across the diamond.
Logan O’Hoppe was supposed to be the bright spot. He came into the year with All-Star buzz and even had some people projecting a 30-homer season.
That sounded bold, but it wasn’t out of nowhere. O’Hoppe has real power, and the upside was still there.
Instead, he never got close to that level and finished with a .219/.271/.295 slash line. That performance made him the first player shipped out when the Angels started clearing house.
What happened next only underlined how badly things had gone. The Angels dealt O’Hoppe and dependable reliever Chase Silseth to the Texas Rangers for 19-year-old third base prospect Angel Arredondo, and the Rangers quickly pushed O’Hoppe down to Triple-A.
For the 26-year-old catcher, it was a rough stretch all around. His defense was part of the problem too, turning a bad season into a double hit.
After that, the Angels cycled through backup catchers and none of it held together. Travis d’Arnaud was brought in to help manage the pitching staff, but plantar fasciitis got in the way. Tyler Heineman followed as the next veteran option.
There was even a short look at Sebastian Rivero, but injury cut that down too, and the patchwork approach kept rolling through the trade deadline.
At that point, the Angels tried to find some stability with Moises Ballesteros, who came over with pitcher Mason McGwire, Mark’s son, in a deadline deal with the Chicago Cubs for reliever Ryan Zeferjahn.
Ballesteros was supposed to bring offense first and catch when needed, with first base also in the mix. Instead, his bat vanished after the trade, and he had trouble staying above the Mendoza line.
Even so, the Angels still have some hope for Ballesteros moving forward, especially since he seemed to find his swing late in the year. ESPN currently lists him as a DH, which tells the story on the defensive side as clearly as anything.
In Other News...
Angels Fans Just Got A Familiar Roster Question Back On The Table
The Angels have a familiar roster decision back in the spotlight, with Jeimer Candelario now among the names back on the open market after a season that already took him on a winding trip through the organization. He started the year on the big-league roster before the Angels moved on, and his path since then has been the kind of reminder that roster churn never really stops, especially for players trying to hold down a spot in the middle of the season.
Candelario is joined in free agency by Justin Lawrence and Max Kranick, two more players whose recent moves have only added to the sense of uncertainty around fringe roster pieces. Lawrence was designated for assignment and traded multiple times before landing with the Nationals and eventually being outrighted, while Kranick signed a one-year deal with Washington before his own outright assignment after a tough season. For the Angels, it leaves open the same question teams keep circling every winter: which of these familiar names still fits the next version of the roster, and which ones are now looking elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Face One Big Outfield Decision Around Mike Trout
After a 100-loss season, the Angels are entering an offseason that could shape the early days of the Stan Kroenke era, and one of the clearest priorities sits in the outfield next to Mike Trout. The front office is expected to examine a wide range of options, with familiar names and bigger outside additions both on the table as it tries to rebuild enough athleticism and reliability to make the roster more competitive.
Randy Arozarena brings the kind of upside that can change the feel of an entire lineup, while Taylor Ward remains part of the internal conversation, and Ian Happ offers a steadier route if the Angels prefer a proven glove and consistent offense. However they choose to play it, this is the kind of decision that goes beyond filling innings in the outfield, because it speaks to how aggressive the Angels want to be in supporting Trout and how quickly they hope to turn a rough season into something more coherent. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Fans May Hate How Jo Adell Changed After Anaheim
When Cleveland went shopping at the trade deadline, it did not stop at one familiar name. The Guardians added Jo Adell, Foster Griffin and Nathaniel Lowe in a flurry of moves aimed at deepening the roster for October, and all three have found ways to matter once the postseason arrived. For Angels fans, Adell is the one that stands out most, because his shift to Cleveland has come with a noticeable uptick in performance at exactly the moment the Guardians needed it.
Griffin has already delivered a key relief outing in the ALDS, while Lowe has been used carefully and strategically in the playoffs. Adells turn is the part Anaheim will probably watch with the most frustration, since it reinforces the uncomfortable idea that a fresh start elsewhere can unlock what never fully clicked at home. The Guardians have turned those deadline additions into real October depth, and the Angels are left to wonder what might have been if the same version of Adell had shown up earlier. [Read more 🡒]