3 reunions the Angels should explore as free agency chaos kicks in

The Los Angeles Angels certainly went into the offseason with dreams of finding upgrades for their roster through free agency and trades. They upgraded their rotation with the Grayson Rodriguez trade and (maybe) the Alek Manoah signing, but the rest of their roster has arguably gotten worse.

And while Cody Bellinger remains on the market as the Angels' last hope of a star signing, these three reunions may be worth looking at for Perry Minasian and the front office.

3 reunion moves that could give the Angels a needed offseason spark

The hope is that the Angels still have a move or two up their sleeve. They created some financial flexibility by restructuring Anthony Rendon's contract, but they have yet to put the money they've saved to use.

As spring training nears, it's possible the Angels look for potential reunions with former players still on the free-agent market.

INF Luis Rengifo

2025 was a tale of two seasons for the longtime Angels’ utility man. Luis Rengifo was one of the worst hitters in baseball across the first few months of the season, posting an OPS of .518 through May. Then, he completely turned his year around during the summer months with his free agency pending at the end of the year.

From June through August, Rengifo's OPS was .725. For comparison's sake, if he had posted those numbers over the entire season, he’d have been just below names such as Mookie Betts and Paul Goldschmidt on the OPS leaderboard.  

Rengifo’s inconsistent season has stalled his overall free agency so far, with no real rumors attached to him. The Angels have yet to sign a big league free agent position player, and Rengifo can play Gold Glove-worthy defense at second base (third base is a different story). A one-year deal likely works for both sides, as Arte Moreno clearly does not want to hand out long-term contracts, and Rengifo can potentially rebuild his value in 2026 before hitting free agency again. 

RP Hunter Strickland

The Angels have added a few solid veterans to the bullpen this offseason, with the most impressive being left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz. Pomeranz was one of the best value deals of the offseason, and the deal led to the Angels trading away Brock Burke to bring in outfielder Josh Lowe. 

As of now, the Angels appear to be betting on some of their young pitchers to both be healthy and be serviceable in 2026 out of the bullpen.

In a perfect world, Sam Bachman and Ben Joyce both serve as meaningful relievers for the Angels this season. But the world is far from perfect, and bringing back Hunter Strickland would be a great deal for Minasian to make, even with him ending the season on the 60-day IL.

Strickland was exceptional when healthy for the Angels last season, and this is honestly a deal that should have been made at the beginning of the offseason by Minasian and Co.

3B Yoan Moncada

The Angels have a need at third base, but it remains to be seen how aggressively they will address it. When healthy, Yoan Moncada performed admirably for the Angels, especially against right-handed pitchers. He was essentially a platoon option, as his numbers against lefties were abysmal and can likely be viewed as solely a left-handed hitter going forward. 

Kyren Paris has spent his offseason learning the position, but there is no option within the organization more proven than Moncada. Bringing him back on another one-year deal would make both sides happy, as the parties would each hope for a  healthier - and subsequently more productive - season from Moncada.