Halos non-tender Gosselin ahead of deadline

ANAHEIM -- The Angels tendered contracts to catcher Max Stassi, reliever Mike Mayers and utilityman Tyler Wade ahead of Tuesday’s 5 p.m. PT non-tender deadline, but they opted not to tender a contract to fellow utilityman Phil Gosselin. They were the Halos' only four arbitration-eligible players.

It was a bit of a surprise that Gosselin was non-tendered, as he was a regular for the Angels in the second half of the 2021 season and batted .261/.314/.362 with seven homers, four stolen bases and 47 RBIs in 104 games while seeing time in both the infield and outfield. But the Halos have other utility options, such as Jack Mayfield, Luis Rengifo, Andrew Velasquez and Wade.

Gosselin is now a free agent, which opened a roster spot for the Angels to add right-hander Michael Lorenzen, whose signing became official on Tuesday. So Los Angeles' 40-man roster is again full.

Stassi, 30, was an easy decision to be tendered a contract, as he'll be the club's starting catcher in 2022. He batted .241/.326/.426 with 13 homers and 35 RBIs in 87 games this past season, while grading out as an above-average defensive catcher.

Mayers could have been a non-tender candidate, but he finished the 2021 season strong and is expected to be one of the Angels' primary setup relievers in '22. The 29-year-old posted a 3.84 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 75 innings, which included a 2.78 ERA in 32 1/3 innings in the second half of the season.

Wade was acquired by the Angels on Nov. 22 in a trade with the Yankees for a player to be named later. He gives the Halos versatility and speed off the bench. The 27-year-old batted .268/.354/.323 with five RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 103 games with the Yanks last season. He saw time at shortstop, third base, second base and all three outfield positions.