Could the Bregman and Bichette Signings Help the Angels Land A Third Baseman?

The Mets and Cubs both had young third baseman in place. What would it cost to acquire them?

Sep 17, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty (7) throws the ball to first base for an out during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Angels desperately need a third baseman. This is not news. Lacking a viable starter at the Major League level and devoid of prospects likely to seize the job, the Angels entered the off season in obvous need of help at the hot corner yet have done nothing to address it.

While the current free agent class lacked quality options at many positions it had a lot of talent at third base. A trio of Asian players signed below expected value with other clubs. Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette (initially marketed as a shortstop) were never in the Angels price range but figured to land with other teams clearly in the third base market like Boston.

Now, all but Eugenio Suarez and Yoan Moncada are off the free agent market. Perhaps a reuinion with the oft injured Moncada is in the works. If not, the Angels will need to look at the trade market which has gotten much more interesting in the last week.

Chicago and New York had young third basemen in place before signing Bregman and Bichette.

Matt Shaw arrived at Wrigley with great fanfare after being a first round pick in 2023. After crushing minor league pitching and landing solidly in the top part of prospect rankings for two years he was given the opportunity to play third base for the Cubs.

At age 23 he put up 3.1 bWAR across 126 games. Like most young players he had a rocky start to his MLB career but also showed flashes of the potential that had him as the Cubs top rated prospect.

Meanwhile, over in Queens, Bret Baty seemed to be face a put up or shut up type year. He'd gotten tastes of MLB life in each of the three previous seasons but posted a weak .215/.282/.325 line over 602 plate appearances.

Baty got off to a slow start on the year but heated up over the second half of the season. Ultimately he provided the same 3.1 bWAR as Shaw but had a much stronger bat as evidenced by an OPS+ of 111 to Shaw's 98.

And now both young infielders have been replaced by high profile free agent signings. Currently each team is saying they will hold onto their young players, but with them blocked at the MLB level it is sensible for them to be available in trade talks for the right price.

What would it cost the Angels to acquire Shaw or Baty?

According the model used as baseballvalues.com, adding either third baseman would be costly but not prohibitive.

Shaw has the higher value due to having 5 years of club control before reaching free agency and the higher prospect pedigree. Entering his age 24 season he should just be coming into his prime. The simulator states he is worth the Angels last two first round picks, Christian Moore and Tyler Bremner. This would not help the Cubs pursuit of a 2026 World Series but give them some quality pieces to replace some of the prospect depth that traded for Edwin Cabrera.

Brett Baty has 4 years of control left and has never been rated as highly as Shaw. In this case, the simulator says his value is about on par with Christian Moore's in a heads up trade. NY also does not get help in 2025 but with Marcus Semien near the end of his career gives them a likely in house replacement.

Is either scenario really worth it?

From a competitive standpoint, no. The Angels are so much more than just a third baseman away from contention that they should be looking to fully rebuild. If the team was to bring in Baty or Shaw they would need to spend big bucks to add a true center fielder and multiple arms to have a prayer of the last wild card.

However, from an asset utilization standpoint trading Moore for Baty does make a ton of sense. Moore's ultimate defensive home is still a bit of a question as is his bat. The Angels hope Moore can turn into a 3 WAR player at the age of 26 while Baty already is a 3 WAR player at the age of 26. So, if the Angels think they might be competitive over Baty's four seasons in Anaheim, the trade would be logical.

Both the Mets and Cubs are going all in on 2026 so they are likely looking for MLB ready players. In that case, Reid Detmers would enter the conversation. He's valued above Baty but a bit below Shaw. Considering he only has two years of club control remaining and it is highly unlikely the Angels reach October in either, this might also be a prudent move to make.

Ultimately neither scenario is likely, but two unlikely signings might turn out to help the Angels rather than hurt them. With just over three weeks until camp opens, the Angels path to a third baseman is still unclear. But it might have a couple of new possibilities.