Minor League Baseball

Former Tampa Bay Rays Big International Signing Inks Minor League Deal with LA Angels

Sandy Gaston of Cuba was once a well-regarded prospect with the Rays and now he's trying to latch on with the Los Angeles Angels.
Brady Farkas|
A general view of an Los Angeles Angels bat, hat and sunglasses during batting practice against the Kansas City Royals prior to a game at Kauffman Stadium in 2024.
A general view of an Los Angeles Angels bat, hat and sunglasses during batting practice against the Kansas City Royals prior to a game at Kauffman Stadium in 2024. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

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Tampa Bay RaysLos Angeles Angels

Former Tampa Bay Rays prospect Sandy Gaston, out of Cuba, has signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels, according to a report from Cuban baseball insider Francys Romero on social media.

Cuban right-handed pitcher and free agent Sandy Gaston (23) has signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels, per sources.

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Gaston was a highly regarded prospect for the Rays, signing for $2.6 million in 2019.

Gaston was never ranked as a Top-100 prospect, but he'll try to stick in the Angels organization now. And at the age of 23, he still has a chance to showcase his stuff. Over parts of five minor league seasons, he's gone 7-14 with a 5.41 ERA.

He's never pitched above High-A, so he's certainly still a ways away from making any kind of impact at the big-league level.

However, if you're looking for a second chance, the Angels just might be the organization to get it from. They finished last in the American League West last season and feature one of the worst farm systems in all of baseball, so there's not a lot of people blocking Gaston from getting a chance.

Coming into the 2025 season, the Angels are hoping some offseason improvements can help the overall state of the franchise. They signed former All-Star Yusei Kikuchi to a multi-year deal and also traded for slugger Jorge Soler.

They also brought in Yoan Moncada and former All-Star Tim Anderson, who provide some upside as well.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.

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