Angels sign former Yankees' power-hitting catching prospect

Last season as the Angels went in Spring Training, there was a battle for their final rotation spot and some bullpen slots. At the same time, the New York Yankees were figuring out how to align their organizational catching depth. One name that was in the discussion was Omar Martinez, a catching prospect out of Venezuela that signed with the Bronx Bombers in 2018. Despite being a non-roster invite to Spring Training last season, Martinez made some noise for himself when he took Gerrit Cole deep in camp. Now, Martinez will have a chance he can offer to the Angels as the team has brought him in on a minor league deal.

In the past decade, the Angels have often been maligned for their performance during the MLB season. While a lot of this falls on the stars, front office, and the coaching staff for failing to meet expectations, the organizational depth has also been lackluster for far too long. Despite a young nucleus in Anaheim headlined by superstar shortstop Zach Neto and potential ace Jose Soriano, the Angels' farm system continues to be one of the most poorly rated in all of baseball. And when injuries hit Anaheim - which they tend to do pretty often - the poor rosters throughout the minor leagues do not provide solid enough replacements in the big leagues.

Angels add to catching depth by signing former Yankees' prospect Omar Martinez

While Martinez is not going to come into Spring Training in 2026 and take Logan O'Hoppe's job as the starting catcher in Anaheim, his role is still an important one. O'Hoppe went through a huge step back in 2025, both offensively and defensively. And while he is rumored to be on the table in trade talks, O'Hoppe will be the Angels' starting catcher otherwise. And even if O'Hoppe is moved, Travis d'Arnaud showed enough in 2025 to still believe in his ability as an everyday catcher.

Martinez showed some pop in the minors last season, hitting 12 home runs. He is a solid defensive catcher by all accounts, but his .220 batting average is worrisome. While Halo fans may want to dream that they just stole their future catcher from the Yankees, they may want to slow down as a bit as Martinez will likely start 2026 as a catcher for the Salt Lake Bees barring any trades involving the position in Anaheim.

But if O'Hoppe and/or d'Arnaud go down, Martinez will get his shot and it will be his chance to show the Yankees they made a mistake in letting him get to Anaheim.