Angels, Tyler Heineman Avoid Arbitration

The Angels announced that they have signed catcher Tyler Heineman to a one-year deal for the 2027 season worth $1.2375MM. They also re-signed left-hander Sammy Peralta via a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Heineman, 36 in June, is a journeyman catcher. He has played for the Marlins, Giants, Blue Jays, Pirates, Red Sox and Angels in his career. He had a really nice season with the Jays in 2025, backing up Alejandro Kirk. Heineman hit .289/.361/.416 in 174 plate appearances. He also got strong grades for his work behind the plate. FanGraphs credited him with 2.1 wins above replacement. He got into a couple of postseason games as the Jays made a World Series run.

Though he was 34 years old, he qualified for arbitration for the first time after that season. The Jays tendered him a contract for his age-35 season and the two sides avoided a hearing by agreeing to a salary of $1.2375. Unfortunately, he couldn’t carry things over into 2026. While Kirk was on the injured list, the Jays called up Brandon Valenzuela to share the catching duties with Heineman. Valenzuela played well as Heineman struggled. Heineman is out of options so he was designated for assignment when Kirk came off the IL.

Heineman was traded to the Angels for cash but struggled with his new club as well. He finished the season with a .175/.223/.220 batting line. Part of that was due to a .205 batting average on balls in play but his walk rate also dropped from last year’s 6.9%, which was already a subpar figure, to just 2.5% this year. That was the lowest walk rate of any hitter who made at least 160 plate appearances this year.

After that dismal showing, Heineman was a non-tender candidate going into 2027. Salaries almost never go down via the arbitration system. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a modest raise to $1.5MM. It’s common for deals signed before the non-tender deadline to come in under projections. This is because a team will effectively say “take it or leave it” to a player at risk of being non-tendered. Heineman has agreed to make the same salary next year as he did this season.

Though he didn’t hit much in 2026, Heineman’s glovework still got strong marks. Statcast gave him above-average grades for his framing and work with the running game, while having him league average with blocking. As of now, the Angels project to have Moisés Ballesteros and Heineman as their catching duo. Ballesteros is unproven at the big league level but he was a bat-first prospect. Heineman can perhaps serve as a veteran mentor and glove-first backup but it’s also possible the Angels make more moves before Opening Day 2027.

The club doesn’t even have a proper front office leader yet. John Mozeliak is guiding things right now as the team waits for MLB approval of the sale from Arte Moreno to Stan Kroenke. In time, more clarity might emerge on the club’s plans. For now, they have opted for status quo.

Peralta, 29 in May, was outrighted off the roster at season’s end. He elected free agency but has circled back to the Halos a few weeks later. He has a 5.64 earned run average in 68 2/3 major league innings. He has occasionally shown some potential in the minors. In 241 Triple-A innings over the past four years, he has a 23% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate. That has nonetheless resulted in a 5.08 ERA, thanks in part to an unlucky 61.5% strand rate. His 4.43 FIP in that time is a bit more optimistic.

The Halos have a fairly wide open bullpen at the moment. Only Tayler Saucedo, Ben Joyce and Sam Bachman have qualified for arbitration. Every other reliever on the roster in his pre-arb years. It’s therefore a decent landing spot for Peralta. If he makes the roster at any point next year, he is out of options.