Infielder Luis Rengifo departs the struggling Angels for a postseason-contending Brewers squad, seeking a fresh start and guaranteed playing time.
The Los Angeles Angels' playoff drought continued in 2025.
And, the offseason was full of disappointment for the Angels once again. They barely spent any money in free agency despite another losing season, and the players they did bring in via trade or free agency all have plenty of questions around them.
The Angels did re-sign former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Chris Taylor to a minor league deal, and he is a versatile player who can be used in a number of different ways.
On Friday, another former Angels player officially left town, with infielder Luis Rengifo signing a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, according to a report from Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
The one-year deal is reportedly worth $3.5 million as he goes to the Brewers.
Rengifo had been with the Angels ever since 2019, and he played in 120 or more games in three of the last four seasons.
In 2025, Rengifo saw his most games played with 147, while he hit .238 with nine home runs and 43 RBIs.
Rengifo has also played second base as well, and with his joining the Brewers, it will be interesting to see where they use him in the infield.
Rengifo was off to a massive start in 2024, hitting .300 in 78 games. However, he had season-ending surgery in August on his right wrist, putting a crushing ending to a promising season for the infielder.
The Brewers are fresh off a National League Central division crown and they even had the No. 1 seed in the NL, but they got swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.
The Brewers also signed veteran catcher Gary Sanchez earlier in February, and now they add another veteran piece with Rengifo going to the NL for the first time in his MLB career.
The Angels have Yoan Moncada back this season, and Zach Neto is entrenched at shortstop. The Angels also acquired Vaughn Grissom in a trade with the Boston Red Sox, so it made sense for Rengifo to find a new team in hopes of playing and being in the lineup every day.
It's a relatively cheap deal for Milwaukee, and for Rengifo, if he plays well, he can make the postseason on a team that should be one of the contenders in the NL to begin the 2026 campaign.
Moreover, he can also re-enter free agency in 2027.