The Los Angeles Angels announced they have acquired infielder Scott Kingery from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for cash considerations. They have also claimed infielder Ryan Noda off waivers from the Athletics, announcing both moves on Friday morning.
Kingery, 30, is a superutility player capable of playing just about anywhere on the field. however, the majority of his MLB experience is at shortstop, where the Angels may have a need depending on how their offseason shakes out. Kingery has not played in the big leagues since June 8, 2022 and has not been a full-time contributor since 2019.
In that 2019 season for the Phillies, Kingery slashed .258/.315/.474 with a .788 OPS and 101 OPS+. He had 57 extra-base hits that season. But he has not been able to replicate that since, and has instead spent most of the last four years in the minor leagues.
He played 125 games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the Phillies’ organization last season. He slashed .268/.316/.488 with an .804 OPS and 25 home runs, playing almost exclusively shortstop defensively. This is a depth move for the Angels, who have a starting shortstop in Zach Neto but have made clear their priority to add infielders.
The same can be said for Noda. The 28-year-old first baseman was waived by the Athletics after a difficult 2024 season. He slashed .137/.255/.211 with a .465 OPS in 111 plate appearances, finishing with a -0.6 bWAR. This comes after what was a strong rookie season for the first baseman in 2023.
In his first MLB campaign, Noda batted .229 with a .770 OPS and a 118 OPS+. He hit 16 home runs and had a 2.3 bWAR, giving the Athletics some hope that they had found an intriguing new piece. The Angels could provide a fresh start for Noda, although he too is unlikely to see much playing time at first base.
Angels land Jorge Soler
The Angels have agreed to a trade with the Atlanta Braves to land outfielder Jorge Soler in exchange for starting pitcher Griffin Canning, the team announced on Thursday.
L.A. did not hide the fact that they would be active in trying to improve their team in 2025. Owner Arte Moreno opened the door for general manager Perry Minasian to spend and make deals that would push the team towards competing for the postseason next year. And they’ve wasted absolutely no time doing that.
Less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the World Series — in which the L.A. Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to secure their second championship in five seasons — the Angels have made the first trade of the offseason by landing Soler and dealing Canning to Atlanta.
