Eric

Wagaman

So it is an actual MLB contract. Interesting. No financial details were announced yet, but it’s expected to be for around the league minimum. The 27-year-old will fight for a spot in the team’s Opening Day starting lineup to begin the 2025 campaign, though his fantasy appeal seems limited.

The expectation had been that Wagaman would have to settle for a minor league contract, so it’ll be interesting to see if it’s actually a major league deal or some sort of split contract when the Marlins ultimately announce it. For his part, the 27-year-old held his own during his time with the Angels during the 2024 season — slashing .250/.270/.403 with a pair of homers, 10 RBI and a 17/2 K/BB ratio in 74 plate appearances.

This one isn’t surprising as Wagaman had already been designated for assignment earlier in the week to free up a spot on the club’s 40-man roster. The 27-year-old got his first taste of big-league action in 2024 — slashing .250/.270/.403 with a pair of homers, 10 RBI and a 17/2 K/BB ratio in 74 plate appearances. He may need to settle for a minor league deal on the open market with an invitation to spring training.

Wagaman got into 18 contests last year for the Angels, hitting two homers and racking up 10 RBI in the process. The 27-year-old infielder blasted 17 round-trippers between Double-A Rocket City and Triple-A Salt Lake prior to arriving in the big leagues. He’ll remain with Los Angeles if he winds up passing through waivers unclaimed.

Wagaman launched a 434-foot homer off Enyel De Los Santos, giving him as many homers in two days as Anthony Rendon has hit in two years. The Angels probably weren’t looking at the 27-year-old as being in their plans for 2025 when they promoted him a week ago, but five extra-base hits in seven games is going to earn him some consideration.

Wagaman was primary a first baseman in the minors, but the Angels have him playing third in Anthony Rendon’s absence, and he came through tonight. The 27-year-old is now 4-for-20 as a big leaguer. It’s imperative that he finish strong if he expects to stick on the Angels’ 40-man this winter.

Wagaman is coming up for infield depth with Anthony Rendon hitting the injured list. Matt Moore was moved to the 60-day IL to make room on the 40-man roster. Wagaman hit .274 with 17 home runs and 60 RBI between Double-A and Triple-A this year. The 27-year-old is a former 13th round pick by the Yankees in the 2017 MLB Draft. He’ll be making his MLB debut when he gets into a game for the Angels.

The 26-year-old first baseman opts to remain with the organization that made him a 13th round selection in the 2017 MLB draft. Injuries limited him to just 35 games during the 2023 season — but during that time he slashed a robust .320/.382/.500 with five homers, 16 RBI, 13 stolen bases (in 16 attempts) and a 27/12 K/BB ratio over 136 plate appearances at Double-A Somerset.