Angels News: Brandon Drury’s Reasons for Signing With Halos

Brandon Drury talked about some of the factors that led him to choose the Angels in free agency, including his relationship with manager Phil Nevin.

After six seasons of struggling, Brandon Drury has broken out the last two years, posting an .809 OPS (121 OPS+) for the Mets, Reds, and Padres in 2021-22. Those offensive performances earned Drury a two-year, $17 million deal with the Angels this offseason.

While the money is great — Drury has made less than $6 million in his career up to this point, so this contract represents life-changing money for him and his family — there were other things about the Angels that attracted him, according to MLB.com.

"My family and I have always been Angels fans," Drury said. "We’re really familiar with the area going to Disneyland and Angels games all the time. So I really like being closer to home. And I feel like this team is so close to be going good. Phil Nevin is also one of my favorite coaches I’ve played for in all of baseball. ...

"I see that team as a team that’s just right on the cusp of being a great team. I just felt like the Angels showed a lot of interest in me and I’m ready to go help that ballclub win."

Phil Nevin was Drury's manager in Triple-A with the DBacks in 2015 and 2016, and the two have a special bond. And with superstars like Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, along with the pieces the Halos have added this offseason, it's hard not to be excited about the potential for this team.

And if the Oregon native is a little closer to Disneyland, even better.