Angels bolster infield depth with signing of former Mets postseason hero

The Los Angeles Angels have had a ton of success this season with a couple of players they signed to minor league deals.

Chris Devenski has turned into their second-most reliable reliever with Matt Moore injured acting as the primary set-up man for Carlos Estevez. Chad Wallach has been much better than advertised offensively while being a rock defensively behind the plate. Jacob Webb has looked good in his limited action out of the bullpen as well. Who can forget what Jimmy Herget did last season?

The Halos have made another minor league signing, and it came pretty much out of nowhere. Daniel Murphy is an Angel, and he could have a chance at being the latest impact addition.

LA Angels bolster infield depth with Daniel Murphy addition

Daniel Murphy had a very productive MLB career. He spent seven seasons with the New York Mets in which he was an all-star and a very productive second baseman. His highlight as a Met, of course, was his postseason performance in 2015.

Murphy practically willed the Mets to the World Series with his heroics that postseason. He hit seven home runs in the first two rounds of the postseason including going deep in six straight postseason games, which is something nobody had ever done before.

Murphy had always been a contact hitter, but randomly turned into Babe Ruth that postseason, and the power carried over to his next contract with the Nationals.

The left-handed hitter was an all-star in both of his full seasons with the Nationals and even finished second in the NL MVP balloting in 2016.

In his 12-year career, Murphy slashed .296/.341/.455 averaging 15 home runs and 85 RBI per season. A very good career, which felt over after his 2020 season. Murphy retired from baseball in 2021 but recently returned to try and revive his career with the Long Island Ducks of Independent Baseball.

Murphy got off to a good start with the Ducks, slashing .331/.410/.451 with two home runs and 19 RBI in 37 games this season. He's a guy who could always hit, and he's proven it despite the long layoff.

Where Murphy fits as an Angel would be pretty clear. Jared Walsh has been abysmal since coming off of the Injured List. In terms of a replacement for him, there aren't so many great options.

Trey Cabbage is worth a look, but we don't know what he is. He can be just as bad as Walsh, and the Angels are trying to win. Jake Lamb isn't exactly a guy worth starting. Murphy can be a guy to fill in at first base if the situation gets dire.

The Angels do have a ton of infield depth at the big league level but what if Anthony Rendon or Walsh or anyone else has to miss time? Depth is crucial in a 162-game marathon.

Do I expect this to end up being anything? Of course not. If anyone expected Murphy to be the all-star he was, he wouldn't have had to settle for a minor league deal. This is, however, a good opportunity for the Angels to buy low on a guy who's had a ton of MLB success.

Three-time all-stars don't exactly grow on trees. While Murphy hasn't played at this level since the 2020 season, Chris Devenski hadn't done much at this level since 2017! Resurgences, while rare, do happen.

This is a smart signing made by Perry Minasian to bolster the Angels depth. Murphy is at the very least a guy who can make contact and put up a professional at-bat. Those are two things Walsh has yet to do since returning. You can never have too much depth, and the Murphy signing only adds to it.