Angels News: Luis Rengifo Wins Arbitration Hearing, Gets Contract Finalized
This offseason, the Los Angeles Angels agreed on contracts with all but three of their arbitration-eligible players. One of those was Luis Rengifo, who had a breakout year last season, finishing as a finalist for the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Awards at the utility position.
Rengifo and the Angels couldn't agree on a contract, so they went to arbitration. According to MLB.com, Rengifo filed at $2.3 million, while the Angels filed at $2 million. The judge made his final decision, granting Rengifo the contract he desired. Angels general manager Perry Minasian confirmed that report.
Arbitration in the MLB is always a tricky concept, as it's weird to think that the Angels were haggling over $300 thousand. Usually, it feels like the potential disdain it would cause the player wouldn't be worth the extra hundred thousand dollars. However, it's not my money, so I can't tell an MLB owner how to spend it.
Either way, hopefully this means Rengifo enters the 2023 season excited and ready to help the Angels contribute. He'll likely spend a lot of his time at shortstop this season, and could find himself in an everyday role there if his bat warrants him staying in the lineup.
He had his best year as a pro last year, and is arbitration-eligible until 2026. So if things don't go smoothly this year, he could end up being a trade candidate sooner rather than later.
