The #Angels today agreed to a one-year, $1,237,500 contract with C Tyler Heineman for the 2027 season. Additionally, the Angels have signed LHP Sammy Peralta to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.
Former Blue Jay Tyler Heineman signs one-year deal to remain with Los Angeles Angels
Photo credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Nov 14, 2026, 06:00 ESTUpdated: Nov 13, 2026, 21:35 EST
Tyler Heineman’s Major League Baseball career is continuing into 2027.
On Friday, the former Toronto Blue Jay agreed to a one-year, $1.24-million contract with the Los Angeles Angels.
Heineman opened the 2026 season with the Blue Jays before being traded to the Angels on June 17. Coming off a career 2025 campaign with the Blue Jays, Heineman appeared in 33 games and batted .154 with one home run and six RBIs.
After Alejandro Kirk suffered a fractured thumb in early April, Heineman and fellow catcher Brandon Valenzuela were tasked with splitting the duties. When Kirk returned in June, Valenzuela’s numbers were far superior, which resulted in the Blue Jays designating Heineman for assignment.
“The week after [being DFA’d] is always tough. It’s a hard thing because you’re kind of in limbo and you don’t really know anything. You hear from the general manager, so Ross called me and told me, we’re going to try and trade you in a 48-hour window, and then we’ll put you on waivers and hopefully you clear, so you are here with us,” Heineman said while appearing on the 6ix Inning Stretch Podcast in August. “I understood it and unfortunately, I didn’t perform the way I felt I could perform and it’s been that way the entire year.”
Upon joining the Angels, Heineman played 46 games and batted .192 with four RBIs and a .238 on-base percentage. Heineman was one of five catchers to appear in games with the Angels during the 2026 season, along with Logan O’Hoppe, Moisés Ballesteros, Travis d’Arnaud, and Sebastián Rivero.
Currently, on the Angels’ 40-man roster, Heineman and Ballesteros remain, along with Logan Porter, who has only accumulated 42 at-bats over 19 career MLB games. This could lead to Heineman receiving a good portion of the starts behind the dish for the Angels. Currently the Angels have a young pitching staff, so Heineman’s veteran presence could provide value to a group looking to take the next step in their development.
“Honestly, I love playing. I love being somebody back there that puts the work into gameplan and scout. That’s my favourite thing to do, is be prepared and call pitches,” Heineman said. “I’m somebody that knows how to call and manage a game, so I’m still doing that well and still enjoy it.”
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