The Angels have signed infielder Jeimer Candelario to a minor league deal, according to a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Candelario’s deal comes with an invite to big league Spring Training.
Candelario, 32, will enter camp looking to find a roster spot ahead of what would be his 11th big league season. Signed by the Cubs out of the Dominican Republic as an amateur, he made his pro debut back in 2011 and made it to the majors for a five-game cup of coffee during Chicago’s World Series-winning 2016 campaign. He once again got into a smattering of games in an up-and-down bench role with the club in 2017 before being included alongside Isaac Paredes in a deadline trade with the Tigers where the Cubs landed catcher Alex Avila and Justin Wilson. After the deadline, he played in 27 games for Detroit down the stretch and hit an impressive .330/.406/.468 in 106 trips to the plate.
The switch-hitter would struggle at the dish over the next few years with the Tigers before breaking out during the abbreviated 2020 season. From 2020-21, Candelario slashed an excellent .278/.356/.458 with a wRC+ of 124, and led his league with 42 doubles in the latter season. Some across the board regression led to a tough 2022 campaign that saw the Tigers non-tender him, but he rebounded well in 2023 with a strong season (118 wRC+, 3.2 fWAR) for the Nationals and Cubs in order to return to free agency with a solid chance at landing a multi-year deal.
That deal eventually came with the Reds, who signed him to a three-year, $45MM contract that was set to run from 2024 through 2026. His first year in Cincinnati was a disappointing one, as he hit just .225/.279/.429 with a wRC+ of 89 in 112 games to go along with atrocious defensive numbers at third base. That down season came while he battled knee tendinitis and a fractured toe. Even with those injuries casting uncertainty over his performance, Candelario’s defensive struggles were still enough to lose him the third base job with the Reds entering 2025. He played just 22 games for the Reds last year (and posted an ugly 10 wRC+ in those 91 plate appearances) before being sidelined with a lumbar spine issue. When his rehab window for that injury ended in late June, the Reds opted to release him rather than give him another shot on their roster.
He eventually signed with the Yankees on a minor league deal to finish out last season, and wound up hitting just .203/.289/.357 at Triple-A without getting a call-up to the majors. As he returned to free agency this offseason, he represented an interesting flier a team could take at relatively low risk. Given that Candelario will earn his $13MM salary with Cincinnati this year even after being released, he’ll only cost a club that puts him on the active roster the prorated league minimum, which will come out of what the Reds have to pay him for this year.
The team that decided to take that flier on Candelario is the Angels, who currently figure to enter camp with Yoan Moncada, Vaughn Grissom, and Oswald Peraza in the mix for reps at third base with Nolan Schanuel locked in at first base and some combination of Mike Trout and Jorge Soler expected to handle DH. That seemingly leaves little room for Candelario to make the roster, but it’s certainly possible he could find his way into the mix at one of those positions with a strong performance in camp or an injury or two clearing the way for him to snag a roster spot.
I remember him being all the rage a couple of deadlines ago
That 3yr/$45M from the Reds looked bad from day one, but man was it *bad*
Yep. They got -1.6 WAR and now they are paying for him to play for someone else.
We would’ve traded McCullers Jr. for him
Let’s be honest, it’s not Rendon “bad” so there’s that.
No, but it’s Zack Cozart ‘bad’.
Dang a wRC+ of 24 at his peak? Amazed he made it this far
What is this stat?
Not sure if there was a typo that was already fixed, but his wRC+ was 124, not 24.
The Angels certainly have a type.
Amazing!!!
The fictional Cleveland club in the movie Major League comes to life.
Former top prospects or draft picks they can pick up on a minor league deal?
He’ll have a really good season, get traded at the deadline, and then sign another free agent deal that the team will immediately regret.
Old broken players join the Angels and then retire, they dont improve
To this day, I still do not understand what the reds were thinking when they gave him that contract. It seemed crazy from the minute he signed it.
I also don’t understand why we gave Montero 3/34.
When he was hitting his swing looked like he was swatting mosquitoes and when he was in the field he might as well have been wearing catchers mitts on both hands. Why the Reds ever signed this clown for 45 million is beyond me. They usually get stuck with dog meat when they sign a free agent. Moustakas got so fat he looked like he was going to play on the Bengals offensive line. Hopefully they break that trend with Suarez.
Blame the “chili”
Reds are paying him $16 million to play for someone else. Brilliant!
$15.2 mil
That $800k paid by the angels is what pushed them over the edge for the Geno signing!
Another great signing. Candle can hit.
Hit what?
Hit the waiver wire
I would be shocked if he does anything something just fell apart for him a while ago.
While the stupid Mariners waste money on proven guys….we keep making these super-smart and super-inexpensive “throw it against the wall and see what sticks” moves. Take that Mariners!
@sealbeach. Im guessing he’s the backup DH, 1st baseman now doesn’t seem like he has opt outs. Hopefully they sell everything off even if there miraculously 5 games out from the last wildcard spot.
It’s all part of Perry’s 37 year plan. these moves will bear fruit by 2046.
He finally got lousy enough for the Angels to sign him.
I thought all along that the Angels and Cardinals were a perfect match for a trade with Brendan Donovan. Angels could then try to extend him straight away. 7-10 a year for 6 years. Cardinals could have included someone like Gorman and get back a better deal than what they got with the Mariners and Rays.
That would be pretty dumb for the Angels (though it is the Angels after all) to send even better prospects than who the Mariners sent. They need to rebuild and they shouldn’t give up guys like Bremner. As frustrating as their offseason has been they’ve at least been consistent and picked a path. The Grayson Rodriguez trade gives them a high upside rotation arm for 4 years and then a bunch of 1 year guys like Yates, Pomeranz, Romano, and Moncada, along with guys with 2 years of control like Manoah and Stephenson who the Angels can trade for a bunch of prospects at the deadline (assuming these guys play well). They shouldn’t be trading away prospects, especially when they need to give playing time to Moore and Neto.
The Angels should never need to rebuild if they ran the place better. Like the Yankees, Mets and Dodgers they have the financial ceiling to compete every year. Finishing last in the division and talks of rebuilds should never be an option.
With no backup First Baseman on the roster i could see Candelario making the team. Add in Moncada’s lack of durability and Grissom and Peraza’s non-existent history of offense and it looks like the Angels may break camp with at least two NRI’s on the roster (Jose Siri being the other)
The Angels just signed Jeimer Candelario to a minor‑league deal, and honestly, this is exactly the kind of no‑risk swing you take when you’re trying to find lightning in a bottle.
Yeah, 2025 was rough but the guy was playing through knee tendinitis and a fractured toe. Before that injury year, he had a legit track record of being a productive, switch‑hitting infielder who could rack up doubles and hold his own at third. If there’s anything left in the tank, this could quietly be one of those “oh wow, that actually worked out” pickups.
And let’s be real
Between Moncada, Grissom, Peraza, Schanuel, Soler, Trout rotating at DH, and now Candelario and many others in, the Angels’ infield and outfield battles are so crowded we might need a control tower at Tempe Diablo just to manage the traffic.
Spring Training is about to look like LAX on a holiday weekend — planes everywhere, everyone trying to land a roster spot, and one veteran hoping he’s still got enough to stick the runway
@johnny bravo. Would you pull the trigger on trading soler save a couple million, and pay the rest, that way trout can DH.
Hud
At this point, if the Angels really want to show they’re serious about reshaping this roster, it might be time for a straight‑up salary dump. If I’m running the show, I’m pulling the trigger on moving Jorge Soler today. Eat a chunk of the money, save a couple million, and take literally anything in return—a lottery ticket arm, a depth infielder, a bag of practice balls,
Cant hit from either side of the plate, so pick 1 and just suck at that. Then needs to retire
.203 in triple A and coming of a long list of injuries.
Fits right in to the quest of 100 losses
From Anthony Rendon to Jeimer Candelario: The tale of a team that wanted to play baseball.
Moncada’s backup at 3B?
Third base depth in Salt Lake City.
Candelaria (The Candyman, 72 yr. old former Pirates starting pitcher) might have been a better signing.
Yep, the Candyman pitched for us in the late 80s… back when Gene Autry owned the team and the Angels were rolling out an All‑Star lineup like it was nothing. Rod Carew spraying hits, Bobby Grich doing everything at second, Doug DeCinces mashing at third, Freddie Lynn patrolling center, Brian Downing grinding out every at‑bat, Reggie Jackson bringing the thunder… and of course Don Baylor, the heartbeat and the muscle of that whole era. That was a roster with real identity and real star power. Totally different standard back then.
Now look what Arte Moreno has done, sunk the Angels like the Titanic, and as the ship is sinking deep in the Atlantic Atlantic ocean management is rearranging the chairs on the deck
I remember those years! I am hoping for a miracle to be contenders this year….
He was the best third baseman for the Nats in his half-season for them since Rendon, and netted then DJ Herz. Herz was a surprisingly serviceable pitcher for a season and could be again after he recovers from TJ surgery later this season.
The spring roster in the greatest baseball movie of all time ,Major League, had more upside than the 2026 Halos. Ugh. Gonna be a rough season.
Baseball movie night
Baseball Movie Lineup
The Sandlot
Field of Dreams
Major League
A League of Their Own
Moneyball
61*
Bull Durham
42 scout bang drum slowly major league 5 rookie of year angels in the outfield the rookie hardball bad news bears
Brewsters millions
The natural
With so many lotto tickets, surely one will pay off… right?… right??
There basically lottery tickets Claim guys are the ultimate gamble. Out of 15 shots, maybe one turns into a real contributor. The other 14? Depth pieces, bench bodies, or guys who never even make the roster. Or option to the farm system