Angels Lose Veteran on Waivers to A's

Walton, 32, slashed .319/.354/.505 in 32 regular season games after his contract was selected from Triple-A Salt Lake on May 22. He made appearances at second base, third base, and designated hitter.

Walton delivered a pinch hit double in his final plate appearance with the Angels, on July 5 against the Boston Red Sox. But he could not be sent to the minors without clearing waivers first.

Third baseman Denzer Guzman could, but the Angels decided to stick with the 22-year-old despite his inferior stats (.252/.300/.379, 25% strikeout rate) at the plate.

On a team in win-now mode, Guzman might not have been extended much patience. The Angels' situation is the opposite. General manager Perry Minasian was fired on June 26 and replaced on an interim basis with John Mozeliak.

One day before Trout was activated, the Angels were 20 games below .500 (36-56), more than halfway through the regular season. Guzman, who at least has a chance of being the team's third baseman of the future, was given the long runway he deserved from a team looking at the bigger picture.

So it was that Walton found himself eligible to be claimed by any team. Unfortunately for the Angels, he'll stay in the American League West.

Fortunately, the Angels only have two games against the A's the rest of the season, in September in West Sacramento. The odds are slim that the decision to cut ties with Walton will come back to haunt the Angels.

Walton's 141 OPS+ was a pleasant surprise, considering he joined the team on a minor league contract in December 2025, and was a late invitee to spring training. Those numbers were also wildly out of line with Walton's 46 OPS+ from stints with the Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants from 2019-25.

Mozeliak arrived in Anaheim after decades as the St. Louis Cardinals' head of baseball operations. The Cardinals are just now emerging from a brief but jarring rebuild. Mozeliak's experience turning over a young roster is recent.

Guzman might not ultimately reward Mozeliak's patience. But it's not hard to see why the Angels opted to give it to him rather than Walton.