The Los Angeles Angels were able to avoid arbitration with six of their nine arbitration-eligible players prior to the deadline, but they had a hearing scheduled with Hunter Renfroe, Luis Rengifo and Gio Urshela.
Griffin Canning, Jaime Barria, Chad Wallach, Jared Walsh, Taylor Ward, and Patrick Sandoval previously reached an agreement with the Angels, accepting their offered salaries.
Renfroe was asked by the Angels to accept an offer of $11.25 million but in late January the outfielder stuck by his original request of a raise from $7.65 million to $11.9 million. Rengifo requested $2.3 million while the Angels offered $2 million, and Urshela asked for $10 million while the Angels proposed $8.4 million.
After the arbitration hearings for each of those players, Renfroe and Rengifo both won their case and will earn their requested salaries, while Urshela lost his and will make what the Angels offered, according to Sam Blum of The Athletic:
Gio Urshela lost his arbitration hearing and will earn $8.4 million.
Hunter Renfroe won his arbitration hearing and will earn $11.9 million.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) February 18, 2023
Luis Rengifo won his arbitration hearing, Perry Minasian confirmed.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) February 16, 2023
Last season with the Milwaukee Brewers Renfroe batted .255 with 29 homers 23 doubles and 72 RBI sprinkled across 125 games but was a prime trade candidate in the final year of his current contract.
Now on his fifth team in as many seasons, he will earn a sizable pay bump after proving to be one of the more consistent power-hitting outfielders in all of Major League Baseball.
In 127 overall games, Rengifo hit .264/.294/.429 with 22 doubles, 17 home runs and 52 RBI across 511 plate appearances while accumulating 2.4 WAR. He also provided value with his versatility by appearing at five different positions, but looks to be the favorite to start at shortstop this season.
In 2022 with the Twins, Urshela slashed .285/.338/.429 and played nearly the entirety of the season at third base. He is expected to fill a utility role with the Angels.
Angels sign Matt Moore to one-year deal
The Angels announced the signing of left-handed relief pitcher Matt Moore to a one-year contract worth $7.55 million. In a corresponding 40-man roster move, RHP Davis Daniel (right shoulder strain) has been placed on the 60-day injured list.
Moore transitioned to the bullpen with the Texas Rangers prior to the 2022 season and turned it into one of the most productive seasons in his 11-year career by posting a 1.95 ERA, and a 2.98 FIP, while striking out 27.3% of batters faced.
The 33-year-old ranked among AL relief leaders in innings (5th), ERA (8th), strikeouts (8th) and opponent batting average (14th, .187). His 1.95 ERA also finished as the third-lowest for a reliever (min. 70 IP) in Rangers history, behind Jim Kern (1.57 ERA in 1979) and Tanner Scheppers (1.88 ERA in 2013).
Make sure to follow Angels Nation on Twitter for all the latest news and updates surrounding the Halos!