LA Angels Sign Former All-Star Slugger

The Los Angeles Angels have not had an inspiring offseason, and it's unlikely this transaction will move the needle much on season tickets, but the team is taking a chance on Miguel Sano, a former All-Star who's registered two 30-HR seasons in the big leagues.

Sources: Miguel Sanó and #Angels have a minor league agreement with an invitation to training.
Sanó, who is playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic, did not play last summer.

Miguel Sanó y #Angels tienen acuerdo de ligas menores con invitación a entrenamientos.
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— Enrique Rojas/ESPN (@Enrique_Rojas1) January 23, 2024

It's a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training for the 30-year-old Sano.

The slugger has spent his entire 8-year MLB career with the Minnesota Twins, but had only 60 at-bats over the past two seasons, none in 2023. He had an injury-riddled 2022 and batted just .083 in 20 games before the Twins released him. He was without a big league job last year. 

Sano finished 3rd in Rookie of the Year balloting in 2015 with an OPS+ of 149. He then was an All-Star in 2017, hitting 28 long balls, and launched 34 more in the 2019 season in just 380 at-bats, with an OPS+ of 139.

He then signed a 3-year, $30 million extension with the Twins in 2020, and while he put up some massive home run numbers in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and the following year, equally massive strikeout numbers curtailed his effectiveness. 

Although he's played both first and third base in his career, the Angels have a bit of a hole to fill in the DH spot, as some guy named Shohei Ohtani flew the coop this offseason. 

Sano is currently playing in the Dominican Republic Winter League finals with Estrellas Orientales against Tigres del Licey.

 Photo: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports