Can you name the last player to appear in 100 games at third base for the Angels in a single season?
Probably not.
That’s because the answer is Yunel Escobar — nine seasons ago, in 2016. From Zack Cozart to Anthony Rendon to Gio Urshela, the Angels have spent nearly $300 million in a seemingly never-ending quest to find a solution at the hot corner. With another season of instability on the horizon, General Manager Perry Minasian will (hopefully) make third base a priority this winter and finally put an end to one of the franchise’s most persistent problems.
Internal Options:
Oswald Peraza – Peraza is an all-glove, no-bat type of player who underwhelmed during his brief stint with the Angels. He posted a meager 42 wRC+ and -0.2 fWAR in 35 games after being acquired from the Yankees in a minor trade at the Deadline. He’s best suited for a utility role in 2026.
Denzer Guzman – The Angels’ #8 prospect has the tools to be their eventual solution at third base, but he is still a long way from being a MLB regular. Guzman is expected to spend most of his 2026 season in Salt Lake City, an environment that should help his raw power flourish.
Anthony Rendon – Unfortunately, Rendon is still a member of the Angels organization, so he has to be mentioned on this list. One. More. Year.
Trade Options:
Nolan Arenado – Arenado reportedly turned down a trade to the Angels last offseason, but changes to St. Louis’ front office will likely push him out the door this winter. Although he’s no longer the player he once was, his defense remains elite, and he has appeared in over 100 games in every full season of his career. A career-low BABIP and an improved strikeout rate also provide reason to believe he could bounce back offensively.
Arenado is still owed $42 million over the final two years of his contract; however, $5 million of his 2026 salary is being paid by Colorado, and an additional $6 million is deferred until 2040. Assuming St. Louis is willing to retain a significant portion of his salary and/or take back another negative-value contract, such as Jorge Soler, there should be a deal to be made.
Ronny Mauricio – Mauricio checks several boxes for the Angels: he’s young, solid defensively, and a strong hitter from the left side of the plate. At just 24 years old, he would fit seamlessly into the team’s young core. The Mets did well to preserve his final option year, which only boosts his trade value. He’ll command a respectable return, but the price should be one the Angels can afford to meet.
Free Agents:
Alex Bregman / Eugenio Suárez – Two of the premier bats on the market this winter, Bregman and Suárez will both be looking to cash in after All-Star seasons in 2025. Bregman, 31, is expected to command a five or six year deal on the open market. The odds of the Angels meeting his contract demands are about as slim as the chances of him signing in Anaheim.
Suárez, 34, will likely be limited to two or three year offers because of his age. The Angels made a similar, albeit unsuccessful, offer to Anthony Santander last offseason, which indicates their willingness to spend in order to add another big bat. The case against signing Suárez is that his declining defense and high strikeout rate would only exacerbate two of the team’s biggest weaknesses.
Yoán Moncada – The decision to re-sign Moncada will undoubtedly be a hotly debated topic among Angels fans. He posted an impressive 117 wRC+ in 84 games last season and provided a much needed left-handed presence in a heavily right-handed lineup. There’s also reason to believe his offensive production could improve in 2026, assuming his lingering knee issue fully heals.
On the other hand, Moncada was the worst defensive third baseman in MLB last season, according to both DRS (-10) and OAA (-13). He hasn’t finished a season with a positive DRS or OAA since 2022. Minasian has already expressed a desire to improve the team’s defense next year, and that, combined with Moncada’s injury history, could be enough for the Angels to look elsewhere.
International Free Agents:
Munetaka Murakami – Another hotly debated topic will be the decision to pursue Murakami, one of the best Japanese-born hitters in NPB history. Most scouts believe a full-time move to first base will be necessary once he reaches MLB. The Angels could give him a look at third base or consider moving Nolan Schanuel to the outfield, which would help alleviate pressure on Schanuel’s bat.
There are legitimate concerns about Murakami’s hit tool as well. His strikeout rate has hovered around 29% over the past three seasons. Recent NPB stars such as Seiya Suzuki and Masataka Yoshida have seen their strikeout rates rise by several points after making the jump to MLB. If the same trend holds, Murakami would find himself in the company of players like Chris Davis and Joey Gallo.
The 25 year-old has already stated that he would prefer to sign with a west coast team or the New York Yankees. That leaves the Angels with little choice but to pursue his services. The revenue Murakami would generate could likely cover a significant portion of his contract on its own. His age and high ceiling would make him an exciting addition to the team’s young core.
Kazuma Okamoto – Okamoto wasn’t as prolific a hitter as Murakami in the NPB, but his more contact-oriented approach could lead to an easier transition against MLB pitching. His 210 wRC+ and 11.3 K% last season were both career bests. He also performed well during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, including hitting a solo home run off Kyle Freeland in the championship round.
Okamoto has spent significant time at both first and third base over the past few years. He profiles better at first, though his defense at either position should be an upgrade over Murakami’s. His age (29) will likely limit him to shorter-term offers in the $50–75 million range.
Song Sung-mun – Song has established himself as one of the top players in South Korea over the past two seasons. Although his offensive ceiling is lower than that of his Japanese counterparts, he’ll only require a minimal financial commitment and could be one of the best value options on the market this offseason. He projects best in a strong-side platoon or utility role rather than as an everyday player.
There’s little concern about where Song will fit on the diamond. He’s played primarily at third base but also has experience at first and second. The Angels were among the favorites to sign his KBO teammate, Hyeseong Kim, last offseason, so they should already be familiar with Song’s game.
16 comments
I honestly don’t believe to much in the Angels internationally unless it’s like a Hispanic/Latin player that we sign with the pool money or whatever. Aside from Ohtani who I feel pretty much gifted to us, we haven’t exactly signed anyone from elsewhere otherwise unless they’ve already been in the states and became a free agent (like Kikuchi). In fact outside of Ohtani I don’t know that we have actually signed any Asian players to note.
Nolan.
Nolan and Nolan on the corners would be fun.
HSK could be an option if he opts out (which is likely). Could also trade for Bohm.
I’m all for Murakami, but I’m ready for a Paul DeJong signing 🤷🏻♂️
Great piece. I have significant doubts they sign anybody to a multi year deal for 3B. I think the most likely scenario is Moncada re-signs a one year deal.
Would love Murakami and his LH power bat in this lineup. Would fit perfectly with our young core but hes probably a dodger unfortunately
truly hilarious how rendon is not even a true consideration. what a disastrous contract
This is an interesting debate. The problem is Perry. You know he’ll go for the cheapest, worst option. And the Angels will finish last again.
Nolan Arenado is 34, and not the player he once was. Expecting a rebound from him offensively is setting yourself up for disappointment, and his defense is clearly on the decline as well. Taking on his salary would be yet another mistake at 3B.
So basically Arte is going to re-sign Rendon to a 6 year $150 million dollar deal
Japanese batters are risky though as very few of them match their NPB success. I am starting to prefer Okamoto though for the Angels if we are going after a 3B this offseason. His defense is much better than Murakami as he is more mobile. If not, 2026 free agency will have Teruaki Sato who is younger and a bad ass.
Great write up.
I want Murakami but I already know he’s playing for Team Japan across town just makes too much sense.
Good post, I like the little blurbs you give for each player. Some of my thoughts:
Oswald Peraza – Depth piece, if he’s starting everyday we’re in trouble.
Denzer Guzman – Clearly not ready last year, really needs to tear up AAA before I’m comfortable calling him up.
Anthony Rendon – Lol…
Trade Options:
Nolan Arenado – No way Arenado is waiving his NTC for this mess.
Ronny Mauricio – Mauricio is definitely interesting, he has some great tools, was a BA top 100 prospect for the past 6 years, and still has tons of team control. That means if the Mets do look to trade him he’s going to be pretty expensive. Expect to part with a top pitching prospect if the Angels look to deal. Probably the most high risk/high reward move, but if Moore develops to his potential that is a pretty damn good young IF.
Free Agents:
Alex Bregman / Eugenio Suárez – After arbitration the Angels aren’t going to have a lot of spending money (~$30M if Arte keeps inline with this years spending). That means if the Angels nab one of these guys they’re done in FA and probably trades unless they can offload salary (unlikely). Out of the two I would prefer Bregman, but Suarez seems to better fit that Angels archetype of homerun or nothing.
Yoán Moncada – Moncada will probably be the most affordable option via FA assuming we don’t see any crazy nontenders in the offseason. He’ll be cheap, which lets the Angels try to also address other needs in the roster, but you’ll need some sort of backup plan for his inevitable trips to the IL.
International Free Agents:
Munetaka Murakami – If Murakami signs here he’s playing third for at least a season cause I don’t see how you can shove Schanuel into this current outfield. Much like Bregman/Suarez, he’ll be expensive and I’m not sure how comfortable I would be giving him a big contract when there isn’t much money to go around this offseason. Much like Mauricio though, his age puts him with the rest of the core. Angels don’t seem to be concerned with Ks as long as a guy can hit bombs so I don’t see them not possibly making a hard push for him.
Kazuma Okamoto – Of the two I prefer Okamoto better. I believe he’ll have a bit easier transition, especially since he’s great defensively so you can at least count on one element of his play transferring over. He is older though, and it’ll be interesting to see what his demands are since he would probably want one other opportunity to test FA before he gets too old.
I’ll add the caveat, that the Angels will face any uphill battle with Japanese FAs since many just watched the greatest player of the generation miss the playoffs all 6 years he was here.
Song Sung-mun – Very intriguing option. He’s a pretty late bloomer so it would be a bit more risky compared to other players posted, but that could come at a cheaper price tag. Out of the three international guys though, this may be the closest one that fits within budget. He’ll probably get a lot of attention though since a lot of teams may get offput by some of the more expensive options and shoot for Song instead.
Looking at everything Mauricio is probably the best outcome since he’ll be cheap financially and has tremendous upside. It’s really just a matter of if the Mets are willing to move on from him and what they’re looking for in return. They’ll want some sort of young talent back in return. Of the FAs, Song Sung-mun or Moncada may be all they can afford unless Arte is willing to blow past the budget this year.
Bo Bichette could probably slot over to 3B from SS. The Angels could use some high contact % guys to balance out the guys who strikeout too often. Probably wouldn’t be too expensive and he’s still young.
Alec Bohm could be an option too.
He’ll likely get 10 million in Arbitration, the phillies are already over the cap before signing any of their own players. I don’t think he’d cost that much in trade.
Trading for Arenado would be the most “Angel” move to make.