Infielder Luis Rengifo won his arbitration hearing against the Angels, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. He’ll be paid the $5.95MM figure at which he and his reps at the MVP Sports Group filed rather than the $5.8MM submitted by the team.
This marks Rengifo’s final trip through the arbitration process before reaching free agency next winter. The switch-hitting 27-year-old (28 later this month) has been a steady presence in the Halos’ infield for the past three years, batting a combined .273/.323/.431 in that time and improving his overall output each season along the way. This past season, Rengifo posted a hearty .300/.347/.417 with six homers and a career-high 24 steals in just 78 games/304 plate appearances.
Unfortunately for both Rengifo and the Angels, he missed nearly half the season with a wrist injury that twice sent him to the injured list — first on July 5 and then again on Aug. 3 in what wound up being a season-ending placement. That injury limited Rengifo’s earning power in arbitration and also ruled out any possibility of a summer trade. The Angels were more focused on trading impending free agents than players with control beyond 2024 anyhow, so perhaps he never would’ve been on the block, but the wrist issue also surely gave interested teams some pause.
Heading into the 2025 season, Rengifo looks poised to be the Angels’ primary second baseman. He’s comfortable all over the diamond, with 600+ innings at each of second, third and shortstop (plus another 238 innings in the outfield). Continued health troubles for oft-injured third baseman Anthony Rendon could see Rengifo slide back over to the hot corner, but yesterday’s agreement between the Angels and Yoan Moncada gives manager Ron Washington more options at the hot corner.
With Rengifo’s case now settled, the Angels have wrapped up this year’s arbitration dealings. They went 0-for-2 in hearings, losing to both Rengifo and outfielder Mickey Moniak. The Angels also exchanged figures with lefty reliever Jose Quijada, but the two parties managed to strike up a deal about a week after that exchange, negating the need for a hearing.