Angels bring in former White Sox first rounder to give infield boost

The Angels have spent the entirety of their offseason with two main focuses: saving money and finding cheap veterans to add to their roster. Even the blockbuster move of their offseason, trading Taylor Ward for Grayson Rodriguez, was done partially due to the amount of money they could save by making the deal. Furthermore, the Anthony Rendon restructuring obviously was done to save money, and the team has yet to show any real promise to spend those savings in free agency this offseason.

Budget signings have been the highlight as well, as the team has essentially rebuilt their bullpen by finding low-cost veteran options. And now, the team is attempting to build out their infield depth by bringing in a former first round pick to compete for a spot on their Opening Day roster.

Angels add Nick Madrigal to infield mix

Coming out of Oregon State University, Nick Madrigal was the fourth overall pick by the Chicago White Sox in the 2018 MLB Draft. Lauded for his ability to make contact and get on base, Madrigal spent his time in the minor leagues as one of the most well-respected prospects across the entire world of baseball. He got off to a hot start, hitting .317 over the first two seasons of his career (although just 83 games). In 2022, his batting average dropped to .249. He offered some fight in the next season, but has largely been dealing with a variety of injuries over the past few years, missing 2025 entirely due to a broken left shoulder suffered in Spring Training.

Now, he gets one more chance to show he can survive in the big leagues with the Angels, who signed him to a minor league contract on Friday.

Similar to a former Angels' fan favorite in David Fletcher, Madrigal is an incredibly hard player to strike out. He puts the ball in play at an incredible rate, but offers minimal power when he does make contact. His arm really only plays at second base, where his main competition will be Christian Moore and Vaughn Grissom, who the Angels acquired from the Boston Red Sox earlier this offseason.

It is, inarguably, one of the most unproven position groups in the league. Moore and Grissom have both had fun moments in the big leagues, but any real consistency has escaped them thus far in their respective careers. They also have both struck out a decent amount, something that Madrigal will refuse to do. If Madrigal comes into Spring Training and simply puts the ball in play while Moore and/or Grissom struggle to, it could be enough for him to find himself on the Opening Day roster for the Angels.