Third base remains one of the Angels’ biggest headaches, and the search for a fix has taken them overseas.
The organization has been stuck patching the position for years, and last season was no different. Free agent Yoan Moncada was signed to a one-year deal, got hurt, and the Angels wound up cycling through options led by Denzer Guzman.
The result was ugly: too many strikeouts and a position that finished last in baseball in WAR. Cleaning up third base has become a clear priority.
There is at least some internal hope. Jake Munroe is viewed as the player who could eventually lock down the job and give the Angels the kind of homegrown answer they have lacked at the hot corner for decades. But until that happens, interim GM John Mozeliak still has to find someone who can hold the spot in the meantime.
One possible answer is Si-Hwan Roh, a third baseman from the KBO who will play the 2027 season at age 27. On paper, the bat jumps out.
Roh hit .283/.360/.505 with 29 home runs in 571 plate appearances, numbers that would fit nicely in the middle of the Angels lineup. The year before, he launched 32 homers and helped lead his team to the Korean series.
Still, the appeal comes with real caution flags. The velocity he sees in the KBO is lower than what he would face in MLB, and most evaluators view the overall level there as only a bit above the domestic AA level. That makes it a mistake to assume those numbers would carry over cleanly.
The strikeout rate is another concern. Roh already whiffs more than the typical KBO hitter, and his K rate climbed to 25.7% this year after sitting around 20% over the previous three seasons. If he’s striking out that often against KBO pitching, the jump against major league arms could be rough.
Defensively, the Angels would not be asking Roh to be a savior. Their production at third in 2026 was so poor that almost anyone would count as an upgrade, even after Guzman came in with a reputation as a glove-first shortstop prospect and still posted negative defensive ratings.
Roh’s glove is generally seen as average to slightly below average. His arm gets plus grades, but his lateral movement is the issue.
He has shown some flexibility, too. When he was added to Korea’s World Baseball Classic team, he shifted to first base so the team could use better defenders at third.
That said, “average” would still be an improvement for the Angels, and it’s roughly the same defensive profile Bohm would bring if the club went that route. So Roh would help, but mostly because the bar at third base has been set so low.
Money and contract structure also matter. Roh is making a little over $1.1 million per year in Korea, and he can return to finish that deal after any MLB stint.
That means any move to the majors would have to come with a full MLB contract and a roster spot. That gives him some leverage.
Some estimates put the cost of signing him this winter at 2-3 years and about $8 million. That is a price the Angels could handle as insurance while Munroe develops, and Roh’s ability to move around the diamond could also let him fill in for Nolan Schanuel at times.
Even so, the Angels should not expect him to arrive and immediately solve the problem. Munroe has already posted better batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS, even though he is still not viewed as MLB ready. That makes Roh a fallback option, not the answer.
For now, he looks more like plan C or D. A veteran such as Bohm or Sosa would be the safer route than betting heavily on an unproven KBO bat with a high strikeout rate and limited range.
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