Former Angels' third baseman reportedly has multiple suitors in free agency

The Angels' season in 2025 was one of ultimate hot streaks followed by the coldest of losing streaks. The team could never get over the hump and a large part of that was unreliability within their infield. Zach Neto ascended to superstardom and Nolan Schanuel was solid at first base, but second and third base both had players in and out of the spots all season. Yoan Moncada was one of the best, but missed a fair amount of the season due to multiple different injuries. Nevertheless, he appears to have a number of suitors in free agency.

Yoan Moncada connected to Angels, Blue Jays, among others

Per Francys Romero, the Angels' free agent switch hitter is being courted by a wide variety of teams across the league. The Angels are in the mix to bring him back into the fold, which makes sense considering their vast opening at third base amid the Anthony Rendon buyout negotiations. Their competitors at this point in free agency appear to be the Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, and Chicago White Sox.

The fit on the Angels is easy to understand. He was good for them last season when healthy, would start consistently, and can help the team contend for the playoffs while younger players get more timne to develop. The fit for Moncada and the Angels is seamless, and if they can make the money work he would be an exceptional fit.

The Toronto Blue Jays would be wise to add a veteran such as Moncada to their bench for 2026. Moncada dominated against right-handed pitchers last season, posting an .815 OPS. He'd be a perfectly viable bench player for the Blue Jays, and would have a genuine chance to win a World Series ring with the team. Depending on his priorities this offseason, the Blue Jays may have something to offer (October baseball) that the other teams mentioned simply can't.

As for the Pirates and White Sox, they are both bad teams hoping to put up slightly better seasons in 2026. The Pirates have reportedly been in the mix for multiple free agents, while the White Sox surprised everyone by signing Japanese superstar Munetaka Murakami. The White Sox have to sell tickets somehow, and the Pirates have to win more in order to simmer down the Paul Skenes trade rumors that have already begun (and been shut down).

There will be plenty of suitors for Moncada once the big name free agents such as Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suarez find landing spots. If the Angels want to find a way to bring Moncada back, it is smarter to do it sooner rather than later as teams with bigger payrolls and higher World Series probability will be lurking soon.