Angels Sign Jeimer Candelario To Minor-League Deal With Spring Training Invite

Jeimer Candelario agreed to a minor‑league contract with the Los Angeles Angels that includes an invitation to big‑league spring training, a move first reported by Jon Heyman. The 32‑year‑old switch‑hitting infielder arrives as a reclamation candidate with major‑league experience at both corner infield spots and the potential to provide depth behind Nolan Schanuel and Oswald Peraza.

Candelario's résumé is a study in peaks and recent valleys. He came up in the Chicago Cubs system before being traded to the Detroit Tigers in 2017 and spent parts of six seasons in Detroit, primarily at third base. He was Detroit’s top offensive performer in 2020 and 2021, leading the league with 42 doubles and hitting 16 homers in 2021. That year’s production faded in 2022 when he slashed .217 with a .633 OPS and an 83 OPS+ in 467 plate appearances, and Detroit non‑tendered him after the season.

A one‑year, $5 million deal with the Washington Nationals led to a midseason trade to the Chicago Cubs in 2023. He rebounded that year, hitting .251 with an .807 OPS and 22 home runs in 576 plate appearances between the Nationals and Cubs, numbers that helped secure a three‑year, $45 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds. The Cincinnati stint did not go as hoped: in 2024 he hit .225/.279/.429 with a 89 wRC+ in 112 games while battling knee tendinitis and a fractured toe. He then managed just 22 games and 91 plate appearances in 2025, producing a 10 wRC+ before a lumbar spine issue sidelined him.

Contract details around the Angels move remain limited. An Instagram post circulated the line: “Jeimer Candelario has signed a minor‑league deal with the Los Angeles Angels, per Jon Heyman. MLB camp invite. $780K if in majors.” Other outlets note conflicting figures about Cincinnati’s remaining financial obligation from his Reds deal; some reports say the Reds are still on the hook for roughly $16 million, while another report says the Reds paid about $22.5 million to release him last summer. Those discrepancies have not been clarified publicly.

Scouting and roster fit point to a veteran bat who can spell multiple corners and provide a right‑on‑left platoon option. Analysts noted Candelario is better suited to first base at this stage of his career and that he shows stronger numbers when batting right against left‑handed pitching (.256/.324/.428 in that split). The signing is being framed as a bargain hunting, low‑risk move; MLB Trade Rumors summed it up, writing, “The Angels just signed Jeimer Candelario to a minor‑league deal, and honestly, this is exactly the kind of no‑risk swing you take when you’re trying to find lightning in a bottle.”

For Triple‑A watchers and Angels fans, Candelario’s immediate timeline is clear: he will report to spring training and compete for playing time or depth duty. If he regains health and stroke, he could leap from an invite to a bench role. If not, the Angels have added a veteran depth piece at minimal risk, and Spring Training will determine whether this is a true reclamation story or another short stop on a veteran’s journeyman path.