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Angels taking chance on former 35-HR hitter
by Renzo Pocholo Salao
The Los Angeles Angels are hoping a former slugger can regain his form in Anaheim.
The Angels on Monday agreed to sign Trey Mancini to a contract. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Mancini is joining the team on a minor-league deal.
The Angels are signing Trey Mancini to a minor league deal, per @Ken_Rosenthal pic.twitter.com/LDAklhLhfV
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) January 26, 2026
The move is a low-risk gamble for the Angels. Mancini was once a rising star slugger who hit 35 home runs for the Baltimore Orioles in the 2019 season. His path to stardom, however, was derailed by a battle against stage 3 colon cancer that kept him out for the entire 2020 campaign.
Mancini returned in 2021 and remained a 20-HR hitter for the next two seasons. He was traded to the Houston Astros in the middle of 2022 and won a World Series ring with the squad.
The 33-year-old had his power sapped the following year, when he signed a two-year pact with the Chicago Cubs. Mancini only clubbed four home runs and batted .234 across 79 games, which pushed the Cubs to cut him. Mancini remained in the minors over the last couple of seasons before getting the call to join the Angels.
It helps that the Angels now employ hitting coach Brady Anderson, who worked extensively with Mancini a decade ago during their shared time in Baltimore. Anderson had a ton of sway in getting Mancini a shot, hoping they could recreate the magic a decade later on the opposite coast.
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