Los Angeles Angels sign Daniel Nava to left field platoon

The Los Angeles Angels signed outfielder Daniel Nava to a one-year deal Dec. 16 worth $1.375 million.

If you’re an Angels fan, this move should make you sweat a little and give you night terrors of last year. After we the fans were promised an elite left field signing in free agency after suffering through a platoon of below average players, all General Manager Billy Eppler has done is bring in Craig Gentry and now Nava to patrol left field.

Those are clearly not the big names the fans have been looking for, but Eppler remains adament that he still plans to bring in a marquee player. However, I’m beginning to become a bit skeptical.

But here we are, trying to get excited about adding a 32-year-old who has hit .265 over his five-year career with the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. For his career, he has 24 homers and 172 RBIs to his name. His best year came in 2013 with the Red Sox when he played in 134 games and hit .303 with 12 homers and 66 RBIs.

The positives about Nava are that he is a switch hitter, he can also play first base and he is patient at the plate and draws plenty of walks. He has an on-base percentage of .358 for his career and he has only played in five seasons, so he should be pretty fresh for a 32 year old.

Nava is a grinder who went undrafted but battled his way into the majors. Maybe it’s that kind of attitude that the Angels could use, a grinding mentality that will get them back into playoff contention.

Only time will tell if this signing could be a steal. If the Angels make it into the playoffs, Eppler will look like a genius. Let’s hope that is the case.