Angels bring back vital depth piece to bolster outfield group

Perry Minasian got the Angels’ offseason started off with a bang last week when he dealt Taylor Ward for starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez. The Angels had a plethora of corner outfielders on their roster, and trading Ward or Jo Adell seemed like a foregone conclusion, especially after they both survived the trade deadline only for the Halos to miss the playoffs. And while the trade has been lauded as a huge win for the Angels, it did take away from the best position group on the roster to make it somewhat thin on the bench.

 The Angels still hope to have Adell and Mike Trout in the corner outfield spots at The Big A on Opening Day next season. While there could be some suitors for Jorge Soler this offseason, the veteran will likely be the Angels’ (overpaid) designated hitter to start 2026. If one of Adell or Trout were to go down, however, Soler would be in the outfield.

Anyone who watched the team in 2025 knows how poorly that would go, as Soler’s defense is largely nonexistent at this point and multiple IL stints prove his body doesn’t exactly support that anymore. Luckily, the Angels made a move to ensure they have some better options should one of their stars go down for some time.

Angels bring back Gustavo Campero to bolster outfield depth

During the 2025 season, Gustavo Compero had some incredibly high peaks and equally incredible lows. Nonetheless, the switch-hitting outfielder is officially back with the Angels after they non-tendered him last week. The team and Campero agreed to a minor league contract, meaning he'll likely be attending Spring Training as a part of the competition for the fourth outfielder spot with the Angels.

Campero has been stuck in-between the big leagues and Triple-A the past two seasons, as his .834 OPS in Triple-A has yet to translate to big league success (.618 OPS in 114 plate appearances. Campero grades out as a rather elite baserunner, ranking in the 91st percentile according to Baseball Savant. Despite his frame - Campero stands at only 5'6" - his arm ranks in the 86th percentile as well. So if his bat ever finds success in the majors, the Angels will have more than a bench piece in Campero.

Until then though, he is simple a depth option for a team lacking them. Bryce Teodosio and Kyren Paris are options (although Paris may be on his way to the hot corner), but both of them are more of center field options. Campero is, at the very least, a reliable late-inning option on the base paths or as a defensive substitution, which means he'll be a fun tool for new manager Kurt Suzuki to utilize.