Angels Sign Former Diamondbacks All-Star to Minor League Deal
On Tuesday, the Angels added utility man Brandon Drury to a two-year, $17 million deal, shoring up the depth throughout the lineup. However, on Wednesday, Angels GM Perry Minasian must have woken up in the mood to add even more depth, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Halos signed longtime veteran Jake Lamb to a minor league deal, with an invitation to spring training.
Lamb has bounced around the league throughout his nine-year career. He spent the first six-and-a-half years with the Diamondbacks, and then played on five different teams over the next two-and-a-half seasons — Athletics, Blue Jays, White Sox, Dodgers and Mariners.
A career .236 hitter, Lamb's best season came in 2017, when he slashed .248/.357/.487 with 30 home runs and 105 RBIs, and was named an All-Star for the only time in his career. Last year, Lamb hit .216 between the Dodgers and Mariners in just 97 at-bats, with three home runs and six RBIs.
Lamb, like many other new Angels players and coaches, played in the same organization as Nevin previously in his career. For Lamb, it was in Arizona, where Nevin was the manager of the Triple-A affiliate Reno Aces — Lamb played under Nevin in 2014 before getting called up to the big leagues. In that brief time, Lamb hit .500 (nine for 18) with a home run, five RBIs and an OPS of 1.460.
The Angels currently have more depth than they need, so Lamb probably has an uphill battle to make any active roster come Opening Day. However, they'll see what he can do in spring training, and he could end up being solid depth in the event of an injury.
Lamb has spent time at third base, first base, left field and right field in his career. His versatility fits the bill of the exact type of player the Angels have added this offseason, so maybe he'll get a chance to contribute at some point next season. Either way, it's nice to see the Angels continue to make calculated, low-risk moves.
