About a year ago, the White Sox signed Adam Eaton to a one-year, $7M deal to be their right fielder. By July, Eaton had been designated for assignment. The Angels picked him up for the league minimum, and he lasted about a month with them before being released.
The 33-year-old Eaton is “at least considering retirement,” according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, in part because the Angels discussed a coaching position with him prior to the lockout. However, MLB’s stance is that Eaton is locked out from discussing employment as a coach.
It’s unclear why Eaton is considered a MLB free agent, having been released on Aug. 20. Other players who were removed from the 40-man roster prior to the offseason, such as Jake Bauers, have been able to sign minor-league playing deals with teams during the lockout. MLB placed Eaton, but not Bauers, on the list of free agents covered by the lockout. The distinction between the two players could be service time, but I’ll attempt to get more clarity on that. I assume Eaton is also ineligible to sign a minor-league playing deal at present, though Rosenthal’s article does not state that specifically. “The union does not necessarily agree” that Eaton should be locked out, according to Rosenthal.
Rosenthal has more on the Angels’ coaching staff, including their addition of Bill Haselman as a catching instructor. Haselman had a 13-year MLB career spanning 1990-2003. Phil Nevin and Benji Gil are also known to have roles on Joe Maddon’s staff.
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