Angels Offseason News: Halos Bring Back Catcher on Minor League Deal

Payne was drafted back in 2015 by the Chicago Cubs in the 30th round of the MLB Draft out of West Virginia State.

He worked his way up the minor league system before making his MLB debut with the Cubs in 2021. He appeared in just one game and went 0-for-2.

In 2023, Payne was with the Double-A Rocket City Trash Pandas of the Angels organization.

He appeared in 44 games, slashing .313/.369/.472 with four home runs and 26 runs batted in. He had a very impressive .841 OPS last season.

Payne will be back in the Halos system next season, but will hope to continue to rise the minor league ranks. Ideally for him, he begins the year in Triple-A, and tries to work his way back up to the majors as catching depth.

Either way, he'll for sure be back with the Halos next season, marking the first signing of a very busy offseason in Anaheim.