The Angels announced Thursday that they’ve claimed utilityman Niko Goodrum off waivers from the Rays, who’d designated him for assignment earlier in the week. In a corresponding move, the Halos recalled righty Kelvin Caceres from Triple-A and placed him on the major league 60-day injured list.
Goodrum appeared in nine games with Tampa Bay but tallied only 18 plate appearances, during which he collected a trio of singles, walked once and struck out three times. He hit .316/.422/.605 with three homers in 45 plate appearances down in Triple-A Durham.
A second-round pick by the Twins in 2010, the now-32-year-old Goodrum has played in parts of seven MLB seasons (this year included). The best stretch of that seven-year span came with the 2018-19 Tigers, who gave Goodrum regular playing time and saw him enjoy a .247/.318/.427 slash while playing quality defense at multiple positions. For a time, Goodrum served as the Tigers’ everyday shortstop. He logged 964 plate appearances over those two seasons and belted 28 homers in addition to swiping 24 bags.
Goodrum’s bat wilted in subsequent seasons. He split the 2023 campaign between the Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate in Worcester, batting .280/.448/.440, and the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization, for whom he turned in a .295/.373/.387 line.
The switch-hitting Goodrum has experience at all four infield positions and in the outfield corners. He’ll give the Halos some depth at a time when Anthony Rendon was just transferred to the 60-day IL and when each of Miguel Sano, Michael Stefanic and potentially Brandon Drury — who exited yesterday’s game with a hamstring issue — are unavailable. Sano and Stefanic are both on the injured list already, and Drury could soon join them. The Angels also acquired Luis Guillorme in a morning trade with the Braves. Goodrum and/or Guillorme could eventually push current bench players Cole Tucker and Ehire Adrianza off the roster; neither has hit much in his first eight games with the team.
Niko is a very nice and articulate young brotha
Are they signing 10 guys to replace Trout?
Why did they trade for guillorme, not knocking it. Niko should be alright or atleast better than tucker.
Wasn’t the goal this year to find out who can play rather than released players that can’t?
Halo, that’s what smart management would do
Hey, Kelvin gets 60 days of big league minimum salary. Good for him.
Did the Angels really have 2 of the top 5 players of all time on one team?
The Angels have become unwatchable and I’ve been a fan for 45 years!
I watch them. You’ve been a fan since 79? There were much less to watch in many years of the 60s. 70s, 80s, and 90s than this. Even recently when their opening day starter was Rickey Nolasco.
People love spewing hyperbole.
As of Tuesday the Angels were last in the AL West. Salt Lake was last in AAA, Our high A and low A teams were also in last place.
AA Rocket City was the high water mark sitting at 13-13.
It is really difficult to destroy an organization from top to bottom worse than Arte and his cronies have destroyed the Angels.
That’s evidence Perry is a rotten GM.
Hot dog, no they did not.
For the first three years Ohtani was good. But not great. OPS+ of 125, didn’t play defense and 50 innings pitched.
The last three years, Trout played in about half the games.
There are a lot of lazy analysts out there who claim they had two superstars on the same roster.
They never have had two of the greatest players playing together at the same time.
One year the Angels had Eddie Murray and Rickey Henderson on the same roster…..so what.
Yes. The greatest double play duo of all time, David Fletcher and Tommy La Stella
In 1964, the Angels had the best pitcher in the game and the second best position player in the AL. Three of there four starters had an ERA+ of 116 or better and Dean Chance ERA+ was 200
They barely finished above 500. This isn’t basketball. It takes a team.
Trout, Pujols and Ohtani are three of the greatest players of all time.
Not pujols. Lied about his age, horrible last 10 years. No defense
The Cardinals version of Pujols was an incredible player on both sides of the ball.
He definitely lied about his age so he had no chance of being vintage Pujols with the Angels.
There is no evidence he lied about his age. He had a severe foot injury.
As far as his age, do you seriously believe he had an OPS+ 169 at age 45?
Pujols was a much better player than Mays or Aaron at age 42. You actually think he did that at 45? That’s just pure stupidity.
There is an audio recording of him saying his real age.
Sure there is.
He’s given away his real age in many interviews. Without a real birth certificate all we can go on is his word and his family and friends.
“I actually hit it off Octavio Dotel, I think I told you that,” Pujols said. “I was about about 12, 13, almost 13 years old.”
“And we go back, you know, 28 years later, and here I am.”
Supposedly 38 year old Albert Pujols.
“Well, Dotel, I believe he’s like three or four years older than me.” Pujols said. “He was in the league above me, and it was actually like an intrasquad game.”
Dotel is now 50 so that makes Pujols 46-47 by his own math.
And since we’re speculating, he also took PEDs.
And Willie Mays was a space alien.
I’m a big believer in evidence. A lot of people aren’t.
When you have absolutely no organizational depth you grab waiver claims every year and put them in your starting lineup.
Angels are now the Rays of the West. They always have the same ideas!
“Angel’s claim player who has a pulse” – alternate headline
I guess Thursdays are trash pick up days
Arte Moreno you’re killing me!
Your future general manager, the Angels batboy
Angry Arte should have 1 tv dedicated to each of Trout’s injuries installed into the locker room and played on a continuous replay loop so that all of his injuries are constantly on a replay loop in the locker room behind thick locked protective glass. To help convince trout that it’s time for him to retire.
Your post sounds like a constant replay loop Username1.
These are the moves you make when your AA & AAA rosters are not good.
There is no light at the end of the tunnel for this organization. Has to be one of the worst ran teams in the league.
This transaction triggered my bad memories of his last season in Detroit. He was decent at the plate but tailed way off.
Thank God the Rays released him. What an awful pickup in the first place. Another L for Rays management
Goodrum for him
New book
“From Trout to Niko: How the Angels Descended to Hell”
I should get a vintage Goodrum number 28 Tigers jersey while I still can. What are the odds he makes his 10 years service time?