Halos Ready to Pounce: Angels Linked to Cut LA West Star, Projected to Earn $14 Million
The Los Angeles Angels have acquired a couple of utility players this offseason in Kevin Newman and Scott Kingery, but are still looking to add one more infielder before spring training.
There are a few in-house options like Luis Rengifo — who can play either second base or third base — but the need for another infielder is to relegate Anthony Rendon to a backup position.
Whoever the Angels sign will be short term because of last year’s first-round pick Christian Moore waiting in the wings.
Angels beat writer Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com recently published a list of infielders who the Angels should consider signing or trading for, and one of those names was recently released from his deal with the Seattle Mariners.
Jorge Polanco recently underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair damage to the patellar tendon in his left knee but that isn’t why the Mariners released him. The switch-hitter’s performance, when batting from the left side, contributed to Polanco’s career-low .651 OPS over 118 games in 2024. His struggles became so severe that his playing time was notably reduced, and there were even rumors that the team might designate him for assignment around the All-Star break.
Polanco managed to rebound, finishing the season with a .724 OPS and hitting 11 of his 16 home runs over his final 63 games starting July 9. Overall, he posted a .213/.296/.355 slash line, with a career-high 29.2 percent strikeout rate and a 9.8 percent walk rate.
Polanco had previous IL stints for the same knee injury in both 2022 and 2023, missing roughly seven weeks in total. With his ongoing knee issues and disappointing 2024 performance, he’s probably headed for a one-year contract.
Polanco has a solid history with the Twins from 2014-23 and his switch-hitting ability fits well with the lineup. Polanco was a consistently above-average hitter throughout his first 10 years with Minnesota. In 950 career games, he has posted a .263/.330/.435 slash line with 128 home runs and 492 RBIs while playing both second and third base.
A veteran of 11 seasons, Polanco should be within the Angels’ budget, though he’s recovering from left knee surgery in October Polanco is best suited as a second baseman, which would shift Rengifo to third base.
