Outfielder Elects to Leave Angels, Making Him a Free Agent: Report

Outfielder Cade Marlowe still has a month left in the 2026 season to be promoted to the major leagues. With a respectable slash line (.296/.370/.457) in 23 games with Triple-A Salt Lake, it was never out of the question for the Angels to give the 29-year-old a look.

Ostensibly, Marlowe felt that opportunity was not going to arrive in Anaheim. Perhaps liking his chances better elsewhere, Marlowe exercised the opt-out in his minor league contract and will become a free agent, according to Ari Alexander of 7News in Boston.

Source: OF Cade Marlowe exercised his opt-out with the #Angels.

Marlowe has a .896 OPS and 114 wRC+ across 453 plate appearances in Triple-A this season.

The lefty bat with big league experience has raked in the minors all year. pic.twitter.com/Pl2jEvOD1P
— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) August 27, 2026

The timing coincides with the Aug. 31 deadline for teams in the playoff hunt to add players to their organization and preserve their October eligibility. Anyone who changes teams in September is not eligible to compete for their new team in the postseason.

Marlowe, a veteran of two MLB seasons with the Seattle Mariners, is unlikely to impact a team's playoff fortunes. That definitely wasn't going to happen with the Angels, who are 52-82 through Wednesday, and are already assured of an 11th consecutive losing season.

Why did Angels OF Cade Marlowe opt out of his contract?

Their record aside, the Angels' outfield was apparently crowded enough that Marlowe could not crack a rotation of Jose Siri, Mike Trout, Josh Lowe, or Wade Meckler. When Meckler sustained a concussion on Aug. 20, and catcher/outfielder Gustavo Campero and defensive specialist Bryce Teodosio were promoted ahead of him in the last week, Marlowe might have seen the writing on the wall.

The Angels signed Marlowe to a minor league contract on July 21, five days after he was released from a minor league deal with the A's. Although his numbers took a slight dip after moving to Salt Lake from Las Vegas, the A's Triple-A affiliate, he still put together a respectable .897 OPS across 104 games at the minors' highest level.

Marlowe was a fairly well-regarded prospect prior to his 2023 debut with the Seattle Mariners. But since he slashed .240/.330/.406 across parts of two seasons (2023-24) with the Mariners, he has yet to appear on a big league roster.

In 2025, Marlowe slashed .316/.401/.474 and went 12-for-15 in stolen base attempts for Triple-A Tacoma. He elected free agency after the season, and signed a minor league contract with an invitation to the Angels' major league camp.

Marlowe slashed .306/.370/.490 in spring training and saw time at all three outfield positions. now he'll look to make a fast impression elsewhere in hopes of making it back to the majors.

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