Angels' Free Agent Additions Share One Thing in Common — And It's No Coincidence

Valentina Martinez | 8 Hours Ago

Oct 1, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud (16) hits a double against the San Diego Padres during the fourth inning in game one of the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images / Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Angels have been one of the most aggressive teams in the early weeks of the offseason. The Halos added right-hander Kyle Hendricks, catcher Travis d'Arnaud, and infielder Kevin Newman, who are all Southern California natives.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian said the reunions for the trio of free agents was on purpose. Minasian wanted to orchestrate a homecoming in order to add players to the roster who love the West Coast.

Minasian believes geographic preferences in players matter as he's lost free agents for that very reason in the past.

“Maybe my first year, my first two years in this job, I was chasing guys where there was very little chance of them coming west,” Minasian told MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. “So I've made that adjustment over the last couple years.”

Now Minasian is adding players in Hendricks, d'Arnaud, and Newman who enjoy being on the west coast.

The trio will be returning home as they don an Angels uniform in 2025. Hendricks was born in Newport Beach and attended Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo, just 25 miles away from Angel Stadium. D'Arnaud was born in Long Beach and went to Lakewood High School, 15 miles away from where he will compete next season. Newman was born in Poway and attended the local high school near San Diego.

After the Angels announced d'Arnaud's $12 million contract, the catcher revealed that he was willing to join a team that is rebuilding because he is a local product. All of d'Arnaud's family still live in Southern California and location was a huge reason for why he chose to sign with the Halos.

“Family is the most important thing. I know how big of an impact the Angels have on the culture of baseball, especially in Orange County,” d'Arnaud told Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register. “I know the fan base is good."

D'Arnaud can still recall when the Angels won the World Series in 2002 when he was 13 years old. He also is familiar with several members of the Angels coaching staff as Ron Washington, Eric Young Sr, and Sal Fasano all spent time in Atlanta with the former Braves catcher.

"I’m very excited to be here and to be surrounded by those people," d'Arnaud said.

Minasian is trying to crack the code with a struggling Angels team and one of his solutions is bringing in hometown players.