The Los Angeles Angels signed outfielder Jo Adell, starter Jose Soriano and reliever Brock Burke to one-year deals, continuing their trend of low-cost signings with spring training fast approaching.
The contract agreements were part of a series of agreements across MLB as teams seek to avoid arbitration with some players while getting the money numbers on others locked down before spring training, as reported by NBCSports com.
The Angels also provided some specific numbers for the contract resolution of former third baseman Anthony Rendon. with a specific five-year plan that will pay off the last year of Rendon's massive deal as the third baseman finally retires.
Start with Adell. The Angels could have non-tendered him last year, but not doing that turned out to be a smart move. This year he’ll play for $5.2 million after hitting 37 home runs to go with 98 RBIs as he slashed.236/.293/.485. The Angels are looking to make moves that would allow them to move the 26-year-old Adell to a corner outfield position, and he’s under team control for another two years before he hits free agency.
Soriano, meanwhile, is perceived as a possible ace in waiting, but for the moment he’ll have to settle for $2.9 million in his one-year deal. He’s arbitration-eligible due to the fact that he picked up a year of service time as an injured Rule 5 pick back in 2021, according to the report, but this contract gives him a chance to clean up his numbers and make more money down the road.
The 27-year old starter posted an ERA of 4.26 in 31 starts for the Angels in 2025, but that number was somewhat inflated by the extra innings Soriano pitched last year when he exceeded his previous innings count.
Burke’s one-year deal will be for $2.325 million, which seems low given that he won seven games to go with 15 holds and a 3.36 ERA. If Burke can come close to those numbers again, though, he’ll his his age-30 season and be eligible for free agency with a prime position in the market place.
Finally, the specific payments for Anthony Rendon’s $38 million were released in yet another significant announcement. Rendon will get installment payments of $7.6 million for each of the next five years, although it’s unclear if this number will give the Angels any cap relief, much less whether they’ll spend it on players if it does.