Yes it's absolutely money. Here's a good article about it by Grant Brisbee. He asks a lot of questions, but it really is obvious that the Angels wanted to save money through insurance, and through lesser penalties under the salary cap. They may have even made moves based on the assumption that they would be cleared of the bulk of this years salary by the MLB.
http://www.sbnation.com/2015/4/3/834...rug-suspension
As for Kris Bryant, years of control may be the most valuable commodity in baseball, so waiting is the best move for their team. Next year they will do the same thing to Addison Russell, and there will be more agent rumbling.