The Angels are releasing outfielder Mickey Moniak, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The former No. 1 pick won an arbitration hearing against the team earlier this winter, securing a $2MM salary in the process. However, salaries awarded in an arbitration hearing are only partially guaranteed, so the team will only owe 45 days of termination pay — just under one-quarter of his salary (about $484K).
It’s a moderate surprise, if only because the Angels chose to tender a contract to Moniak back in November. He looked to have a real chance at being non-tendered after batting just .219/.266/.380 in 414 plate appearances last year, but once the Halos made the decision to keep him, it seemed likely he’d open with the club — particularly in the wake of Mike Trout’s move from center field to right field. Moniak’s bleak .173/.224/.346 slash this spring couldn’t have helped his standing, however, and the Angels will apparently go with the cost-saving route rather than hope Moniak can bounce back to his 2023 form, when he hit .280/.307/.495.
Moniak never seemed likely to fully replicate that production in subsequent seasons. It was a solid-looking line on the surface, but he struck out in 35% of his plate appearances that season and needed a colossal .397 average on balls in play to get to that production. He was an obvious regression candidate, though perhaps not to the extent we saw in 2024 and so far this spring.
With Moniak no longer on the roster, former top prospect Jo Adell looks to have center field to himself. He’ll be flanked by Taylor Ward in left and Trout in right. The Angels don’t have prototypical fourth outfielder now, though infielder/corner outfielder Matthew Lugo could add another option if he makes the roster. Trout, of course, can occasionally serve as a backup in center if Adell is out of the lineup, and it remains possible that the Halos add another center field option between now and Opening Day as teams make their final waves of cuts.