Former SF Giants, Braves switch-hitting infielder joins Angels on minors deal

The Los Angeles Angels added some infield competition to the mix on Friday. Former SF Giants switch-hitting infielder Ehire Adrianza has joined the Angels on a minor league deal with a camp invite, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.Com.

Former SF Giants, Braves switch-hitting infielder joins Angels on minors deal

Like the Oakland A's, the Angels have been busy stocking up on former Giants players lately. Also on Friday, veteran reliever Hunter Strickland agreed to a deal with the Angels according to a team announcement.

Strickland spent his first five seasons with the Giants, posting a 2.91 ERA with 19 saves during that time. He was non-tendered following the 2018 season and he has bounced around the league quite a bit since then.

The career arc of a reliever tends to be volatile and Strickland has been no different. He has certainly had some down moments over the past few years, but also had a stretch where he tallied a 1.73 ERA in 36.1 frames with the Milwaukee Brewers as recently as 2021.

The right-handed hurler posted a 4.91 ERA in 66 appearances with the Cincinnati Reds in 2022 but did not appear in the majors last season. Both Strickland and Adrianza played for the Giants when they last won a World Series in 2014. There are not many of those players left.

Adrianza signed with the Giants as a 16-year-old prospect out of Venezuela in 2006. He debuted with the club in 2013 and spent four total seasons with San Francisco. During that time, he performed capably with the glove as a middle infielder but did not offer much with the bat while struggling to the tune of a .605 OPS.

The Giants designated him for assignment after the 2016 season. Since then, he has made stops with the Minnesota Twins, Washington Nationals, and the Atlanta Braves. The 34-year-old has had two, separate stints with the Braves. He appeared briefly with Atlanta in 2023, recording 10 hitless at-bats.

Incredibly, Adrianza has appeared in parts of 11 seasons while never serving as an everyday player. The most playing time he received was when he collected 366 plate appearances with the Twins in 2018, but his playing time has been more sporadic since then.

The Angels already have Brandon Drury, Zach Neto, and Luis Rengifo as the primary middle infielders on the 40-man roster. They seemingly have coverage in that area, but Adrianza gives them more depth up the middle as a glove-first option.