The Angels have re-signed outfielder Gustavo Campero to a minor league deal, according to the transactions tracker on Campero’s MLB.com profile page.
Campero, 28, signed with the Yankees out of Colombia back in 2017. He was selected by the Angels in the minor league phase of the 2020 Rule 5 Draft and joined the organization for the 2021 season. He’s played for the Angels exclusively in the half decade since then, gradually climbing the minor league ladder before reaching the majors for a brief cup of coffee in 2024. Campero has served as a reserve outfielder for the Angels in each of the past two seasons, hitting .202/.272/.346 across 41 games and 114 plate appearances, but was non-tendered by Anaheim earlier this month.
He now returns to the club on a minor league pact as a non-roster depth piece. Following the trade that sent Taylor Ward to Baltimore in exchange for Grayson Rodriguez, the Angels lack much certainty in their outfield. Jo Adell, Jorge Soler, and Mike Trout appear likely to split the outfield corners and DH between themselves next year, but that leaves a hole in center that would likely be filled by Bryce Teodosio and Kyren Paris if the season began today. An external addition seems likely, with players like Cody Bellinger and Cedric Mullins standing out as obvious fits in free agency, but the team would likely remain thin on outfield depth even after making that sort of addition.
That’s because Soler and Trout both battled injuries throughout the 2025 season and have checkered injury histories that make it hard to pencil either one in for anything close to 162 games next year. Adell, for his part, hasn’t faced significant injury woes over the years but just enjoyed his first above average season by wRC+ in 2025. That leaves the possibility of regression on the table, and having more outfield depth could help the Angels protect against both a step back from Adell and injuries to Soler and Trout.
Campero figures to be part of that depth, though the career .311/.394/.440 hitter across two seasons at Triple-A has not yet proven himself a capable hitter at the big league level. While pieces like Campero and Teodosio are decent enough depth options, it seems sensible to expect the Angels to continue searching for additional depth for their outfield mix as the winter progresses. That could come with a particular focus on left-handed bats; Campero and Teodosio are both switch-hitters, but Adell, Trout, and Soler are all right-handed bats and could certainly use a left-handed complement in the outfield.
Teodosio should be nothing more than a late inning defensive replacement. Great OF defense. But not a very good hitter ….yet
i mean he is also nearly 27 ….so not like he has a TON of time to figure that out, i say give him 250 ABs and then call up rada if it isnt working out. a corner OF should be brought in but i wont hold my breath on the three FA CFers available
Teodosio is fine as a 4th outfielder. I also like Kyren Paris due to his versatility in playing both infield and outfield. But they absolutely need a real centerfielder – I always liked Bellinger for the Angels.
Angels want / need a Lefty CF with a good glove and power. Bellinger all over it. The problem is price and his willingness to come to a very uncertain team.
We don’t need him trash
Just need to re sign Kenley
Remember that Sinead O Connor song:
:
Nothing Camperos 2 U?
Standard Angels move.
Yay
We’re signing a guy who we already know can’t hit MLB pitching while MLB caliber pitchers and outfielders are coming off the board to teams not named the Angels.
@prov356. Who’s coming off the board. Hasn’t had much movement, but they definitely need outfield help besides a starting centerfielder. I would throw moniak a bone to be the 4th.
Angels paid him 1/2 mill to buy him out bc they didn’t want to pay the 1.5 million he won and deserved in arb, Signed on with rox for 1.275 plus the pay from the Angels pushed his contract to 1.75 mill for 2025 He was the Angels only CF on the roster. Michael Taylor got 1.9 mill from the whitesox last year. Mickey is projected over 4 mill. No way the cheap Angels can afford that nor would I sign after that unless he gets zero other offers. Plus his defense wasn’t the best in CF minus a few great catches
@rontingley. They definitely screwed up, and they signed Lopez to not play him and use him for mop up duty. Didn’t know he was arb eligible, and his season stats weren’t bad shouldn’t be that hard to get him back, and he would be cheaper than Mullins.
moniak is notably STILL arb-eligible, will go thru the process again this offseason with colorado and hit FA after the ‘26 season
I’m fine with bringing Camp back. I know a lot of people want Bellinger which I don’t understand. That type of signing only makes sense if the Angel’s sign a few other top end players, including 2 front line starters. So I am fine with Camp and Teo filling in until this team gets closer. This Team doesn’t compete without front line pitching… so it doesn’t matter who you put on the field… once the pitching staff is right we can talk about Bellinger.
@prov356: It’s a MiLB deal. As long as Campero is nothing more than minor league depth and hopefully isn’t called up (he should be 6th or 7th in the depth chart).
If he’s starting games for the Angels again, then the Angels are in trouble.
Does he owned El Campero?
And he’ll be starting games later this year due to a lack of organizational depth.
The Angels’ AAA roster is light on homegrown talent.
Most of our prospects are still climbing from Single-A to Double-A, so Salt Lake’s getting a few fresh faces this year. But let’s be real we usually patch the AAA roster with minor league castoffs from other orgs. Similar to the major league roster
It’s not a development pipeline, at least not yet a holding pattern.
When I see his name in the box score I call him Campy Campero.
Good. I pulled his serial RC Auto.
The Angels: Baseball’s Worst-Run Franchise and Arte Moreno Is the Reason Why
Once upon a time, Arte Moreno looked like a promising owner. He made smart early moves signing Vladimir Guerrero and Bartolo Colon and gave fans hope. But then he decided he was smarter than the system.
Instead of hiring a strong, experienced GM, Arte played fantasy baseball with real money. He publicly inked disastrous deals with Anthony Rendon, Josh Hamilton, and Albert Pujols ignoring red flags and long-term risk. These weren’t strategic investments. They were vanity signings.
He’s only once hired an experience manager
Madden He surrounds himself with yes-men yeah right make the Angels great again that sounds familiar and runs the organization like a discount warehouse. Miserly when it matters, reckless when it doesn’t.
The result? A team in freefall. No direction. No accountability. No plan. If Arte’s goal is to run the Angels on shoestrings and ego, why even own a Major League franchise?
Sell the team, Arte. Around the league, you’re not feared. You’re not respected. You’re the punchline.
Put him in left field and call it a day. The guy can get on base.
Campero isn’t terrible. Having him at Salt Lake is a decent move. But Nelson Rada is going to win the CF job in Anaheim next year, and probably keep it for years to come. Eventually, he’ll also be the leadoff hitter. You heard it here first.
They can sign Dodger castoffs Chris Taylor or Michael Conforto for cheap! That’s Arte baseball!
kingsfan1968 – I am all for resigning Chris Taylor. He provides good glove work all over the diamond. He looks to me like someone that might bounce back with the bat.