Angels News: There Could Be An Added Wrinkle to the Max Stassi Restricted List Move for the Halos

A move of goodwill might have been for other reasons.

In what's been a disaster of a season for the Halos, the team made several waiver moves after buying at the deadline in an effort to get under the luxury tax.

Though letting go of five veterans on the roster helped alleviate these financial concerns on the mind of owner Arte Moreno, one more move on Sunday could've finally gotten Anaheim to that desired outcome. 

Re: Angels and luxury tax.

The move with Stassi saves them just over $1M in terms of actual cash, but it's closer to $300K off the luxury tax number (because that's AAV).

It may or may not get them under the luxury tax. They won't know for sure till the year is over.

— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) September 3, 2023

Though the optics looks quite strange, Stassi hasn't played this season due to a family matter and the team's allowance for him on the reserve list is also understandable even with the financial implications it has. 

This move does get the Angels below the luxury tax.

The Angels have kept Stassi on the IL throughout the season, as he dealt with a family issue, which was the right thing to do. By not paying him for the final month, they’ll get below the tax. https://t.co/5j6BbRaX2Q

— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) September 3, 2023

It's been a trying year for the Halos both on and off the field and Stassi's serious family matter is no different. 

Out for the entire season, the Angels' backstop hasn't been with the team and is choosing to attend to his personal business away from the franchise for the remainder of the season. 

On the field, the good times haven't been present in Anaheim in the slightest, a painful trend that's continued since 2014's playoff appearance. 

Losing in a sweep to Kansas City that season, the Halos haven't made it back to the postseason despite the talents of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani's arrival in 2018. 

Ohtani's efforts to carry the franchise with ineffective play and numerous injuries littering the roster finally became too much for even him to handle. 

Seemingly unbreakable and superhuman for his two-way prowess on a daily basis, Ohtani unfortunately suffered a torn UCL after a break from the mound due to fatigue. 

Such an outcome didn't just hurt the Angels' postseason chances, but now has massive implications for his two-way playing future should he be unable to pitch, let alone at the same level as he did the past three seasons. 

With the trade deadline buying from Perry Minasian not paying off for the team, the Angels are headed toward a bleak offseason and a process that could take years for them to recover from.