The Los Angeles Angels signed yet another free agent with an injury history to a minor league deal that includes a spring training audition, but this time it wasn’t a pitcher. Outfielder Jose Siri spent last season with the New York Mets, but his inability to recover from a broken leg has hindered his ability to stay on the field as a plus defender.
Siri fouled a ball off his leg in April, and that basically ruined his Mets season last year. His recovery was initially projected to take 8-10 weeks, according to Mark Polishuk of MLBTradeRumors.com via Jon Heyman of the New York Post, but Siri experienced lingering leg soreness and played just 16 games for the Mets. His OPS was .292 over 36 plate appearances.
The Mets acquired Siri in a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024 based on his outstanding defensive metrics, but they ended up releasing him in September. Siri’s speed also translated in 45 career steals in 58 attempts to go with his defense, and he does have some power, but it remains to be seen if his speed is intact now that he’s recovered.
The Angels undoubtedly view him as a glove-first option in center. They still don’t know who their regular center fielder will be, even after trading for outfielder Josh Lowe, who has been touted as a candidate after coming over from the Rays.
Outfielder Jo Adell is still projected as the starting center fielder, but that’s basically just a projection. Adell is a minus outfielder in center, but he could attain a plus grade if he’s shifted to a corner spot.
Other outfield candidates include Jorge Soler, Mike Trout and Bryce Teodosio, but none are considered good options. Soler is also a minus defender, and given Trout’s injury history, most fans would like to see him again as the full-time DH given that he hit 26 home runs and seemed to recover some of his swing mechanics. Teodosio is a strong defender who doesn’t supply much offense, and he’s played in just 55 MLB games to date.
As for Siri, he also has another weakness that will seem familiar to Angels fans is his tendency to strike out. He’s done it 422 times in 1,222 plate appearances in MLB, and his slash line over those appearances is just .206/.263/.400. Siri’s contract has him making $1.6 million this season, according to Heyman, and he has opt-out dates at the end of spring training and on June 1 if he isn’t on the roster on either or both of those dates.