The Angels thought they were landing their catcher of the future when they brought in Logan O’Hoppe during the summer of 2022. Three years later, that idea looks a lot less certain.
O’Hoppe arrived in the organization as part of the 2022 trade deadline deal that sent outfielder Brandon Marsh to the Philadelphia Phillies. The move came after Marsh’s early offensive struggles with the Angels and with the club still searching for a long-term answer behind the plate.
That search had been going on for years. Before O’Hoppe came along, the Angels kept cycling through veteran catchers and short-term fixes who were never really part of the long-range plan. The list included Jett Bandy, Martin Maldonado, Jonathan Lucroy, Kevan Smith, Max Stassi, and a number of other journeyman backstops.
For a while, O’Hoppe seemed like he might be the one to finally settle things down. He has had good stretches in an Angels uniform, but the overall picture has become more troubling. His struggles this season and last season have raised real concerns about whether he can be the answer the team was hoping for.
He’s still only 26, and he’s clearly well-liked. He’s a great person and displays leadership in the clubhouse.
But the on-field production hasn’t matched the promise. His defense has been below average, his offense has been inconsistent, and his offensive numbers have declined steadily each year.
That leaves the Angels in a familiar spot: still looking for stability at catcher, and still not fully convinced they’ve found it in O’Hoppe.
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The twist for Los Angeles is that Neto is still under club control through 2029 and has not even reached arbitration yet, so any talk of a move is coming well before the Angels would normally have to confront it. ESPNs estimate gives him a 30% chance of being traded, but for now the bigger question is whether this is just deadline noise aimed at a 2026 decision point or the first sign that a much more surprising conversation is starting to build. [Read more 🡒]