The Los Angeles Angels have been busy making upgrades for the 2024 season. The front office has yet to make a big splash in response to the loss of Shohei Ohtani, but the free agent market has been slow to move. Only in the last two weeks did the top dominoes fall in a relatively shallow market.
General manager Perry Minasian has plenty of time to reconstruct his depth chart before pitchers and catchers report to spring training. To this point in the off-season, depth has been the focus of the Angels' moves.
Acquiring infielder Evan White is a prime example. Minasian spoke to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger, and noted how excited he is to see White in red and white.
“I think Evan White we feel really good about. He's healthy for the first time in a long time, which was very attractive. The deal gave us some financial flexibility, which will allow us to pursue some other players. It just made sense with where the roster was and the development of Matt Thaiss and Logan O’Hoppe. We really like those two catchers and they’re definitely two players we'd like to grow with. They made strides over the course of the year defensively.”
White became an Angel in a four-player trade, along with pitcher Tyler Thomas, in the trade that sent Max Stassi and David Fletcher to Atlanta. White didn't cost the Angels a 40-man roster spot, as he had been outrighted to Triple-A by the Braves literally a day earlier.
The Seattle Mariners traded White to the Braves earlier in the off-season. He last played in the majors in 2021 with Seattle, slashing .144/.202/.237 with a .439 OPS in a limited role. The 27-year-old has spent most of his career in the minors, with an .830 OPS, 41 home runs, 155 RBIs and 292 hits in 264 games.
Although it's been a while since he stepped on a major league field, Minasian is confident in White's ability and what he can bring to the team. It may be a tall task, but Minasian likes what he sees, and we'll find out soon enough if White has what it takes.
More must-reads: