3 internal options to fill an important role for Angels in 2026

If there is one issue the Angels had team-wide in 2025, it was depth. Their bench for most of the season was one of the worst in the league, with veterans attempting to salvage their careers providing negative value each time they were asked to fill in. The team also lacked a true “super-utility” player, someone who could play all over the diamond and was strong enough offensively to warrant regular playing time. While free agency and trades may be the best path forward, three internal candidates in Anaheim are worth keeping an eye on for 2026.

3 internal options to fill an important role for Angels in 2026

Chris Taylor

Perhaps the player most synonymous with the “super utility” tag, the Angels signed Chris Taylor earlier this season after his divorce with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Taylor has spent more time on the injured list than off of it, but if the 35-year old can stay healthy (and the Angels bring him back), maybe he has one more year of magic left.

Oswald Peraza

Likely the most under-the-radar trade acquisition made by Perry Minasian and the Angels at the deadline, Oswald Peraza has been playing some of the best baseball of his career since taking over as the everyday first baseman. Peraza was a former top prospect for the New York Yankees but never was able to survive offensively. If he can continue breaking through at the plate, Peraza plays elite defense across the entire infield - and could potentially even be a mainstay at third base.

Kyren Paris

Remember Kyren Paris? The hottest bat in baseball through the first three weeks of the season was demoted to Triple-A Salt Lake City when the Angels brought Taylor to the fold. Paris' catastrophic slump was well-documented, and Paris has turned in a good-not-great performance at the plate.

He just recently returned from injury, and when healthy can provide exceptional defense in the outfield as well as at shortstop and second base. While his bat definitely needs some form of improvement in the final games of the season and over the off season, Paris' youth and potential could give him the inside track to serving as the Angels' super-utility man in 2026.

There is a lot of time until Opening Day 2026. There could be trades, free agency signing, or other names breaking out from within the Angels' organization. These three names, however, have the best chance from the names already on the Halos' payroll to fill the role in 2026.

3 internal options to fill an important role for Angels in 2026