Angels Sign Silver Slugger Utility Man in Free Agency

The Los Angeles Angels signed utility man Brandon Drury to a minor league contract July 1, bringing him back to the Big A after he elected free agency following the 2024 season.

The Angels signed Drury after the 2022 season, and he played for the Angels from 2023-24. He had a solid first season with the Halos, hitting 26 homers and driving in 83 runs with an .803 OPS, but failed to produce and fell out of favor in 2024, where he batted just .169 through 97 games.

Drury left the Angels after 2024 and signed a minor league deal with the White Sox. They released him on March 23, but resigned him April 8 before officially releasing him May 15.

The 32-year-old won the utility Silver Slugger in the National League in 2022, a season where he set career highs in home runs (28), RBIs (87), and OPS (.813).

Drury made his debut in 2015, and has also featured for the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres. He is a career .245 hitter, though he is prone to slump seasons similar to the one he had in 2024 with the Angels.

The Angels will hope Drury can impress them in the minors and provide them some extra depth in their infield with second baseman Christian Moore and third baseman Yoan Moncada both on the 10-day injured list.

The Angels made a push for the postseason with Drury in 2023, though they came up short after a subpar second half. They find themselves in a similar position now, and will hope they can produce a different result.

The Angels have fallen to three games under .500 after being swept by the Blue Jays, however they are 4.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot in the American League.

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