The Angels’ second-base problem has lingered for years, and the answers they’ve tried so far haven’t stuck. Oswald Peraza and Vaughn Grissom both got chances to claim the spot, but neither looks like the long-term fix at the keystone. The result has been a lineup that has sat near the bottom of the league in team strikeouts and team defense, with second base feeding both issues.
One path would be to bank on Christian Moore, the club’s 2024 first-round pick, breaking through. That kind of hope, though, doesn’t change the depth chart on its own. If the Angels want real improvement at the position, they may have to get creative.
Luis Arraez is one possible answer. He would give the Angels exactly what they’ve lacked in one glaring area: contact.
Through 4188 big league plate appearances, Arraez has struck out just 5.8% of the time, an absurdly low rate. He doesn’t walk much more often than that, but his bat-to-ball skill has helped him post a career wRC+ of 110.
Arraez is more Rod Carew or Tony Gwynn than power bat. His career slash line sits at .316/.360/.414, and with nearly 90% of his at bats ending in a ball in play, he creates plenty of productive outs that can move runners and keep innings alive.
He also grounds into his share of double plays. Defensively, he’s long been seen as below average, but the 29-year-old lefty has taken a big step forward under Ron Washington.
He turned in strong defensive numbers in San Francisco and kept that going after being traded to the Phillies.
If Arraez could give the Angels steady defense along with all that contact, it would be a major boost.
Another possibility is a more defense-first reshuffling. In that setup, the Angels would move Zach Neto to second base and put Guzman at shortstop, where he is probably the best defensive option on the roster. The issue is obvious: Neto would have to leave his position for a player as unproven as Guzman, and that feels like a tough sell.
Still, there’s a case for prioritizing run prevention if run production isn’t going to improve enough on its own. Guzman’s range is being wasted at third base, and second base would put it to better use.
Even with Neto’s range reduced at short, the two together could give the Angels quality defense up the middle behind a ground-ball-heavy pitching staff. More balls turned into outs means fewer runners on base and longer outings for the starters.
Then there’s the more ambitious swing: Ketel Marte. The appeal is easy to see.
Marte is productive, talented, and still above MLB average offensively and defensively even at this stage of his career. He posted 2.5 fWAR in 141 games this season, and he’s entering his age-32 season.
But Marte also comes with baggage. He has major attitude and off-field issues, and the Diamondbacks are said to be looking to trim payroll and growing tired of his continued antics. That has fueled plenty of speculation that he could be in another uniform soon.
His contract is the other wrinkle. Marte has the right to refuse a trade out of Arizona, but he often acts like he doesn’t want to be there.
His $12 million salary for 2027 is manageable enough, but the real problem is the $64 million due in his age-34 through age-36 seasons. Deferred money softens the blow a little, but not enough to make the deal painless.
And as second basemen age, decline tends to arrive fast.
For Arizona, moving a disgruntled player on a big contract would not leave much room to negotiate. That could open a door for the Angels, whose farm system needs help.
If the Diamondbacks want to unload Marte and clear the money attached to him, the return package may matter less than the salary relief. The Angels have the payroll space to make it work, especially with Robert Stephenson having made $11 million this year without throwing a single pitch.
But for a trade like that to make sense, the Diamondbacks would likely need to absorb some of the future money.
In Other News...
Angels Suddenly Have A Dream Trade Debate Fans Cant Ignore
The Phillies latest postseason disappointment has reopened a conversation that seemed almost unthinkable not long ago, with their aging, pricey core suddenly drawing extra scrutiny. Bryce Harper sits at the center of it all, and the chatter has naturally spilled beyond Philadelphia because any discussion about a player of his stature forces teams to imagine the possibilities, especially for a club like the Angels that now has new ownership and a fresh chance to reshape its direction.
For Anaheim, the appeal is obvious: Harper alongside Mike Trout would be the kind of star pairing that instantly changes the look and feel of the roster. The contract complications are real, and nothing has moved into official territory, but the idea alone has made for an intriguing debate because it speaks to what the Angels could be if they decided to swing big this offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Prospects Suddenly Have A Chance To Speed Up Their Path
Jake Munroe and Arjun Nimmala are getting an early look at a possible fast track, and the Arizona Fall League has become a useful stage for both infield prospects as they play for Mesa. Munroe has climbed through the system with steady performance gains, including a strong showing at Double-A that put him at the top of the organization in wRC+, while Nimmala is already viewed as close to major league readiness.
What makes the timing interesting is that the Angels are also preparing for a change in the player-development pipeline. Interim GM John Mozeliak has said the club plans to hire a new farm director from outside the organization, a move that could reshape how quickly young talent moves. For prospects like Munroe and Nimmala, that kind of transition can open the door to a different kind of evaluation, and maybe a quicker path than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Face Tough Calls That Could Shape Their New Era
As the offseason approaches, the Angels are staring at a familiar kind of roster math, the sort that can quietly reshape a clubhouse before most of the league is even fully focused on winter business. Several arbitration-eligible players, including Josh Lowe, Jose Siri and Tyler Heineman, are being weighed against their projected salaries and what they delivered on the field, which puts the club in position to make some uncomfortable non-tender decisions if the numbers do not line up.
The same uncertainty extends beyond the roster. Kurt Suzuki is entering the final season of his contract, and the timing of any decision on his future may depend on when new ownership is in place. For a team trying to define its next chapter, those parallel questions at catcher, in the lineup and on the bench underline how much of the new era could be shaped by choices made long before the first pitch of next season. [Read more 🡒]