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Yoán Moncada signs one-year deal with Angels
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Photo credit: © Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Feb 6, 2025, 20:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 6, 2025, 19:36 EST
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Another option for the Toronto Blue Jays is off the market.
On Thursday evening, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Los Angeles Angels have signed Yoán Moncada to a one-year, $5 million deal.
Moncada is a great low-risk, high-reward type of player. The 29-year-old missed most of the 2024 season, slashing .275/.356/.400 before suffering an injury early in the season. His 2023 season was okay, slashing .260/.305/.425 with 11 home runs in 357 plate appearances for a 98 wRC+ while his 2022 season with the White Sox was a disaster. That year, he slashed just .212/.273/.353 with 12 home runs in 433 plate appearances for a 76 wRC+.
The low-risk aspect of signing him is that he only earned a one-year, $5 million deal. The high reward part is because he’s had good seasons in the past. In 2021, Moncada slashed .263/.375/.412 with 14 home runs in 616 plate appearances for a 120 wRC+. The 2019 season was his career year as he slashed .315/.367/.548 with 25 home runs in 559 plate appearances for a 139 wRC+.
Defensively, he’s hit or miss at third base. Moncada had limited action in 2024 due to the injury but had a his worst year defensively in 2023 posting -6 Defensive Runs Saved and -1 Outs Above Average in 761 innings at the hot corner. The 2022 season was the polar opposite, posting 2 DRS and 5 OAA in 859.2 innings, so it’s fair to say he’s an average defender, at least according to the defensive metrics.
With the market drying up, the top free agent remaining on the market is Alex Bregman. Of course, the Blue Jays have been linked to the former Houston Astro, as Héctor Gómez reported the Blue Jays have a six-year offer on the table for Bregman.
Take that with a grain of salt, of course, but Bregman is really the only game-changing bat remaining, and he fits perfectly on the roster. If not, it seems as if Will Wagner will get a look at the hot corner as he has experience playing the position in the past. Wagner, acquired in the Yusei Kikuchi deal with the Astros before the 2024 trade deadline, is a good option to lead off for the Blue Jays.
As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

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