Since Moncada is a returning player, the Angels’ infield hasn’t seen much of an upgrade. Perhaps that is due to financial insecurity. The club recently terminated its contract with Main Street Sports and may consider transferring their broadcasts to the MLB – typically a less lucrative arrangement. Whatever the reason, the team’s infield still has some question marks, especially at second base. What options do the Angels currently have? Let’s look at the possibilities:
Christian Moore
Moore is the incumbent at the keystone after that Luis Rengifowho led Angels second basemen with 260 plate appearances last year, became a free agent. He was the club’s first-round draft pick in 2024 and will get plenty of opportunities on that basis alone. That said, Moore struggled mightily at the plate during his debut season in 2025. In 184 PA across 53 games, he hit .198/.284/.370 and was 18% below average per wRC+. His 10.3% walk rate was positive, but that was offset by a 33.7% strikeout rate. Moore also has room for improvement on defense, with Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average both taking a negative view of his work at the cornerstone. The key for him in 2026 will be to make more consistent contact and get on base so he can take advantage of his 78 percent speed.
Vaughn Grissom
Grissom was acquired from the Red Sox two months ago. He owns a career line of .255/.309/.346 with an 82 wRC+ in 350 PA for the Braves and Red Sox from 2022-24. Unfortunately, he didn’t play in the Majors at all in 2025, instead spending the year at Triple-A. Although he was above average there and recorded good strikeouts and walks, time is running out to prove himself at the big league level. Grissom’s defense at second base is on par with Moore’s (-3 DRS and -8 OAA in 613 innings), so he will need to outhit Moore to compete with the recent draftee for playing time. Grissom is out of options and will receive five additional years of team control.
Oswald Peraza
Peraza is a former Yankees prospect who has yet to make an impact in the Majors outside of a late-season call-up in 2022. In 524 PA from 2022-25, Peraza has hit just .189/.260/.282 with a 54 wRC+. He has also posted a career batting average of 27.1%, including 34.7% of the time in 95 PA with the Angels in 2025. He has played just 205 career innings at second base, although DRS and OAA both consider him slightly above average. Aside from his range, Peraza also has arm strength in the 81st percentile, so the Angels could take advantage of this by playing him all over the infield. Of course, he’ll have to cut back on the strikeouts and get on base more often to justify a bigger role than “defensive replacement.”
Denzer Guzman / Kyren Paris
Guzman was an international signing in 2021 and made his big league debut late last year, albeit for just 43 PA. He hit .247/.343/.426 with a 119 wRC+ across Double-A and Triple-A in 2025 and showed decent power with 17 home runs. Paris was the Angels’ second-round draft pick in 2019 and has posted 245 PA in the majors from 2023-25. He’s a solid defender but has shown nothing with the bat, with a career wRC+ of 50 and an extremely high strikeout rate of 42.1% in 140 PA last year. Even as depth pieces, Guzman and Paris are lower in the pecking order than Grissom and Peraza. Both have at least one option left, so they likely have a ticket to Triple-A.
Minor League Signings
Trey Mancini And Jeimer Candelario are in the organization for minor league deals and will likely attend big league Spring Training. Both are veterans with minimal track records in recent years. Mancini retired from baseball completely in 2024 and spent 2025 with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate, where he hit 10% better than average by wRC+ in 335 PA. His last productive season in the big league was in 2022 (105 wRC+). Candelario was released by the Reds midway through last year after seeing his offensive crater compared to the highs of his 2023 season. In 554 PA since the start of 2024, he owns a wRC+ of just 76 and has struggled to get on base. Candelario is limited to the infield corners and Mancini to just first base, so their ceilings essentially serve as a backup if Moncada or Nolan Schanuel get injured.
Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images
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