TODAY: Moncadas deal with the Angels is now official, as is the clubs with . and were transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster. FEBRUARY 11: The Angels are reportedly in agreement with third baseman on a one-year, $5MM deal. The signing is pending a physical for the Quality Control Sports client. The Angels will need to create a 40-man roster spot once it is finalized. Moncada, 30 in May, is looking for a rebound after a disappointing end to his eight seasons with the White Sox. The former top Patrick Beverley Jersey prospect had an up-and-down tenure in Chicago. He earned down-ballot MVP support during his best year, a 2019 season in which he hit .315/.367/.548 with a career-high 25 home runs. The Sox signed Moncada to a $70MM extension the following spring, believing hed cemented himself as a core piece coming out of their rebuild. That is not how things have played out. Moncada slumped to a .225/.320/.385 showing in 2020. That looked like a short-season aberration the following year, as he posted a strong .263/.375/.412 slash acro s 144 games. Moncadas bat hit another sharp decline thereafter. He combined for a .234/.288/.386 line in nearly 800 plate appearances over the next two seasons. His final year in Chicago was tanked by injury. Moncada suffered a significant left adductor (groin) strain two weeks into the year. He was immediately ruled out for 3-6 months. Moncada didnt return to the active roster until the middle of September. By that point, the White Sox were playing out the string on the worst season in modern history. It was a foregone conclusion that theyd buy Moncada out for $5MM instead of a $25MM club option. The Sox had little reason to put him back in the lineup. He only made one appearance as a pinch-runner in the final two weeks. His season ended with 12 games and 45 plate appearances. Moncada is now three years removed from his last strong season. At his best, he has shown above-average power and speed with a patient offensive approach. Moncada took walks at an excellent 13.6% clip back in 2021. He takes a lot of called strikes as well, so he has punched out in 29.2% of his career plate appearances. Hes a .254/.331/.424 hitter in more than 3100 major league plate appearances. After playing second base during his first two seasons, Moncada kicked to third base in 2019. He hasnt played anywhere other than the hot corner over the past six years. Thatll very likely be his home with the Halos. General manager Perry Minasian said at the beginning of the offseason that the Angels were not committed to giving that job back to . Hes likely headed to the bench as he enters the sixth season of his seven-year free agent deal. can take the majority of the playing time at second base, while the Halos acquired to serve as their primary designated hitter. This is the Angels first move of consequence in months. They were the leagues most active team in the offseasons first few weeks. They pulled off the Soler trade while signing , and before Thanksgiving. They had not made a major league free agent pickup since finalizing the Kikuchi deal. Theyve added a few veteran infielders on minor league contracts, including Moncadas longtime Sox teammate . With questionable for Opening Day following postseason shoulder surgery, Anderson could compete with free agent signee for the season-opening shortstop job. The Angels may have Moncada and Anderson on the left side of their infield for at least a few weeks. Moncada was also tied to the Blue Jays, Mariners and Cubs at points this offseason. Francys Romero that the Cubs made a one-year offer worth around $3MM. Moncada declined and came out $2MM ahead with the Angels. (Chicago has signed to serve as a multi-positional infielder and is likely to turn third base over to top prospect .) This pushes the Angels payroll to approximately $193MM, as calculated by . Theyre at $210MM in luxury tax commitments, a little more than $30MM below the lowest threshold. first reported the $5MM agreement. Image courtesy of USA Today Sports. Bob McAdoo Jersey