The Los Angeles Angels made another small infield move yesterday, signing infielder Yolmer Sanchez to a minor league contract, according to the transaction log on MLB.com via Anthony Franco of MLBTradeRumors.com.
Consider this a defensive depth signing, courtesy of new manager Kurt Suzuki. Sanchez is 33, and he won a Gold Glove at second base in 2019 for the Chicago White Sox. Sanchez slashed .245/.300/.360 in almost 2500 plate trips from 2014-2020, so he’s clearly not an offensive powerhouse.
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His career since 2020 has been a struggle. Sanchez has spent most of the last five years in Triple A, save for brief MLB appearances in 2020 with the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets.
The Angels know what they’re getting here as well. Sanchez spent the 2025 season at Salt Lake, where he hit .246/.357/.329 in almost 500 trips to the plate, which basically mirrors his career numbers.
But Sanchez does bring defensive versatility to the table, and the Angels definitely need that right now. The Halos traded for Red Sox infielder Vaughn Grissom at the winter meetings, and Grissom will get an extended look at second, and also possibly at third.
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Right now second-year infielder Christian Moore is penciled in as the starting third baseman, but he could be a placeholder depending on whatever moves are make there going forward. Moore showed some power potential with seven home runs in 162 at-bats late last year, but he also struggled mightily with strikeouts, whiffing 62 times, so he’s one of many Angels players who could use some help from new hitting coach Brady Anderson in that regard.
Sanchez represents an insurance policy, but it’s unclear if he’ll get another invite to camp after appearing last spring as a non-roster invitee, according to Franco. There are other names in the mix, including infielders Oswald Peraza, Kyren Paris and Denzer Guzman, but there’s not a lot of clarity in the overall makeup of the Angels infield right now.
There will be competition, however, especially with the buyout of former third baseman Anthony Rendon now announced, although there hasn’t been much progress with the specific money numbers so far.
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The hope among Angels fans is that there’s a major add or deal of some sort to fill the hole at third base. It’s a power position, and having an established name would allow Grissom and Moore to compete at second, with the others falling in line for a possible utility position. Until that happens, though, guys like Sanchez will be worth tracking as the Angels offseason continues.