The Angels had a quiet season. It could be argued that their biggest move was restructuring Anthony RendonIn the final year under contract, the two teams deferred his $38MM salary over five years. In terms of additions to the list, the club has signed Jordan Romano, Drew Pomeranz, Kirby Yatesand recently Brent Suter like a cow. They also bought cheap Alec Manoah, Grayson Rodriguezagain Josh Lowe (the last two by trade) and re-sign Yoan Moncada playing third base.
With Moncada as a returning starter, the Angels’ outfield hasn’t gotten any better. Perhaps that is due to financial uncertainty. The team recently terminated its contract with Main Street Sports and may consider transferring its broadcasts to MLB – usually a less profitable arrangement. Whatever the reason, the team’s pitching still has some question marks, especially at second base. What methods do the Angels currently have? Let’s look at the possibilities:
Christian Moore
Moore is the keystone contributor behind the scenes Luis Rengifowho led Angels second basemen with 260 plate appearances last year, became a free agent. He was the team’s first-round pick in 2024 and will get plenty of opportunities on that basis alone. That being said, Moore struggled a lot at the plate in his first season in 2025. In 184 PA in 53 games, he hit .198/.284/.370 and was 18% below average in wRC+. His 10.3% walk rate was okay, but that was outweighed by a 33.7% strikeout rate. Moore also has room for improvement on defense, with Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average both taking a negative view of his performance at the capstone. The key for him in 2026 will be consistent contact and getting on base to take advantage of his 78th-percentile speed.
Vaughn Grissom
Grissom was acquired from the Red Sox two months ago. He has a .255/.309/.346 career line with an 82 wRC+ in 350 PA for the Braves and Red Sox from 2022-24. Unfortunately, he didn’t play in the majors at all in 2025, instead spending a year in Triple-A. While he was above average there and posted good strikeout and walk numbers, time is running out for him to prove himself at the big league level. Grissom’s defense at second base matches Moore’s (-3 DRS and -8 OAA in 613 innings), so he’ll need to outpace Moore in order to compete with the late draft pick for playing time. Grissom is out of options and comes with five more years of team control.
Oswald Peraza
Peraza is a former Yankees prospect who has yet to make an appearance in the majors outside of the 2022 postseason callup. In 524 PA from 2022-25, Peraza hit just .189/.260/.282 with a 54 wRC+. He also hit at a 27.1% clip for his career, including 34.7% of the time in 95 PA with the Angels in 2025. He only played 205 career innings at second base, though DRS and OAA both see him as slightly above average. Aside from his range, Peraza also has 81 percent arm strength, so the Angels could take advantage by playing him in the infield. Of course, he’ll need to cut down on hits and get back into the zone more often to justify a bigger role than just “stepping into a defensive position.”
Denzer Guzman / Kyren Paris
Guzman was signed internationally in 2021 and started playing in the big leagues at the end of last year, although only 43 PA. He hit .247/.343/.426 with a 119 wRC+ across Double-A and Triple-A in 2025, showing respectable power with 17 home runs. Paris was a second-round draft choice of the Angels in 2019 and made 245 PAs in the majors from 2023-25. He’s a steady outfielder but hasn’t shown anything with the bat, with a career wRC+ of 50 and a career-high 42.1% strikeout rate in 140 PA last year. Even if they are deep pieces, Guzman and Paris are lower in the order of Grissom and Peraza. Both have at least one option remaining, so they are likely to be dealt a Triple-A ticket.
Minor League Signing
Trey Mancini again Jeimer Candelario they are in talks about minor league deals and will attend major league Spring training. Both are veterans with poor records in recent years. Mancini was out of baseball completely in 2024 and spent 2025 with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A organization, hitting 10% better than average with a wRC+ in 335 PA. His last productive major league season was 2022 (105 wRC+). Candelario was released by the Reds in the middle of last year after seeing his criminal record against the peak of his 2023 campaign. In 554 PA since the start of 2024, he owns a wRC+ of just 76 and has struggled to get on base. Candelario is limited to the inside corners and Mancini is the first base, so their roofs are spares if Moncada or Nolan Schanuel get hurt.
Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images
