Key Roles the Angels Quietly Locked in this Spring

Coming off a second consecutive 90+ loss season, Angels general manager Perry Minasian had some heavy lifting to do this off season. Not only did he need to fill multiple holes in the roster, he had to do so with a payroll that shrunk nearly $80 million from 2025.

Given that tall task and the limited resources available, Perry was able to quietly fill a couple of significant voids in the Angels roster. These signings did not create the type of buzz that generates headlines but should have a significant impact on the Angels in 2026.

Second base is solidified with Adam Frazier.

Last year the Angels cycled through numerous second basemen who collectively put up right around 0 WAR. In short, the combination was the equivalent of grabbing a guy off waivers and just plugging him at the keystone for an entire season.

Strikeouts were a huge problem for the Angels overall as was team defense. The conglomerate at second base in 2025 was responsible for a large part of both. Luis Rengifo, Christian Moore, and Kyren Paris combined to K 225 times alone and that still leaves about half a season of work at second by other players.

Enter Adam Frazier. Signed to a minor league deal as camp opened, Frazier played his way onto the team. He's likely a placeholder for Christian Moore who is talented but not yet ready for the Majors; and that is perfectly fine.

Frazier put up 1.4 bWAR last year and only struck out 81 times in 134 games. His glove is adequate and his left handed bat and high contact profile are nice additions to the Angels lineup. Perry Minasian did a good job in solidifying second base without breaking the bank.

Jeimer Candelario and Oswald Peraza solidify the bench.

Peraza was brought over at the trade deadline, but I'm throwing him in here because that trade was clearly looking toward the future. Once a top 50ish rated prospect in all of baseball the 25 year old has yet to live up to the hype at the MLB level. But he came into camp ready to go and delivered an impressive .314/.352/.549 slash line with a couple of home runs.

Candelario was an afterthought when signed to a minors deal but just like Frazier he played his way onto the Opening Day roster. The right handed corner infielder mashed the ball and put up a .931 OPS in the Cactus League. He gives the Angels coverage at third base and could platoon with Nolan Schanuel at first base.

Bullpen depth was improved this Spring.

While none of the names are flashy, the quartet of Kirby Yates, Drew Pomeranz, Brent Suter, and Jordan Romano gives the Angels a veteran group with closing experience. Just below them, Nick Sandlin was signed to a minors deal and should be on the MLB roster in the first month of the season.

Yates is a calculated gamble that could pay off big time. He worked with Angels pitching coach Mike Maddux in 2024 and put up video game numbers; a 1.17 ERA in 62.1 innings.

Pomeranz has had a nice second act as a reliever after spending most of his career as a starter. The southpaw was quietly good for the Chicago Cubs last year and looks like another sneaky good pickup.

Suter is a solid multiple inning reliever. The wild card is Romano who was once a premier closer but has struggled in recent years. Sandlin should be a nice middle relief option when he's back to health.

What this group really does is allow the Angels young arms to find their footing. Sam Bachman is back to being healthy and throwing nast sinkers. At some point fireballer Ben Joyce should be back in the closer's spot. Meanwhile intriguing arms like Walbert Urena, Samy Natera Jr., and Joel Hurtado are on the horizon.