The Los Angeles Angels may be heading into an aggressive offseason, but one of the names tied to them could become a costly mistake.
With the club’s new ownership group set to be the richest in baseball, there’s been plenty of talk that the Angels will be ready to spend. That idea sounds appealing in theory.
The problem is the market itself. This free-agent class is shaping up as one of the weakest in a while, and that kind of setup can send prices climbing fast when teams start fighting over the same players.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. is one of the names that keeps popping up. The Yankees second baseman is about to hit free agency after a down year, but he’ll be 29 next season, which could still make him attractive on a long-term deal.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden included the Angels among three possible fits for Chisholm when he released his free-agent contract and destination projections, alongside the San Diego Padres and the #Athletics. But the price tag he attached should make any Angels fan pause: six years, $128 million, with an opt-out after the second season.
That works out to an average annual value of $21.3 million.
That’s a huge number for a player coming off a 1.7 bWAR season.
Chisholm’s profile is still easy to sell at first glance. He can move around the diamond and has done it at multiple spots.
He was an everyday center fielder with the Marlins before shifting to third base after joining the Yankees, and then moved to second base for the 2025 season. He’s regarded as an above-average defender at all three positions, and his speed remains a real weapon.
But the production didn’t match the price tag this past season. Chisholm posted 19 home runs and 41 steals while batting .231.
His average slipped from .242 to .231, and his OPS fell from .813 to .711. The power never quite matched the level he flashed earlier, even after he came into the year talking big.
He had said he expected to reach 50 steals and 50 home runs and to land a $350 million contract this offseason. That prediction drew plenty of laughs, but it came after a 30-30 season, so it wasn’t coming out of nowhere. Still, the numbers he put up this year didn’t exactly strengthen his case for that kind of payday.
The Angels, if they’re serious about spending, still need to be careful. A richer owner doesn’t mean every expensive move is a smart one.
Chisholm’s versatility and athleticism are real, but a deal of that size would be a lot to commit for a player who has only one season with a WAR above 3.0. If the market pushes him toward that kind of contract, Los Angeles would be wise to walk away.
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Among the headliners, shortstop Arjun Nimmala has been one of the more encouraging names since arriving from the Blue Jays, showing the kind of offensive impact that can make a prospect stand out in a short stint. On the other side of the ledger, Kyle Robinsons line has been a tougher read, and the broader Solar Sox picture reflects that same mix of promise and frustration, with the club sitting 7-10 as the Fall League grind continues. [Read more 🡒]