Brewers trade Renfroe to Angels in 4-player deal
The Milwaukee Brewers traded outfielder Hunter Renfroe to the Los Angeles Angels for right-handers Janson Junk and Elvis Peguero and minor-league left-hander Adam Seminaris, the teams announced Tuesday.
Renfroe joins an Angels outfield mix that includes three-time MVP Mike Trout, Taylor Ward, Mickey Moniak, and Jo Adell. He'll provide another potent bat alongside Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Anthony Rendon.
"I think we're significantly better," Angels general manager Perry Minasian said of the deal, according to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger.
"I don't think the work is done. There's definitely areas where we can continue to improve. But I do think we're significantly better."
Renfroe hit .255/.315/.492 with 29 home runs, 23 doubles, and 72 RBIs in 125 games for the Brewers, who acquired him prior to the start of last season in a multi-player trade with the Boston Red Sox.
The 30-year-old is projected to earn $11.2 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility. He's a free agent at the end of the 2023 season.
Renfroe realized a trade was a possibility with his salary set to increase.
"I could see the writing on the wall as far as how much money the Brewers were going to have to put into arbitration guys," Renfroe said, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. "Being a middle-market team, knowing they have a place they like to be money-wise."
The Angels have been one of the busiest teams early this offseason. They signed left-hander Tyler Anderson to a three-year, $39-million deal and traded for versatile infielder Gio Urshela before acquiring Renfroe.
The Angels have added about $33 million to their 2023 payroll by adding Tyler Anderson, Gio Urshela and Hunter Renfroe. They've surrendered a second-round draft pick and four fringe pitchers. The last offseason plan under Arte Moreno looks like most others: win now.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) November 23, 2022
The Angels finished third in the AL West last season despite carrying a payroll over $206 million.
The Brewers landed the Angels' No. 16-ranked prospect in Junk, who appeared in three major-league games last season. The 26-year-old spent most of the 2022 campaign with Triple-A Salt Lake, authoring a 1-7 record with a 4.64 ERA and 8.4 K/9 in 73 2/3 innings.
Peguero, 24, posted a 6.75 ERA in 13 big-league appearances for the Angels. He fared much better in the minors, recording a 2.84 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 44 1/3 innings at Triple-A.
Seminaris was the Angels' fifth-round draft choice in 2020. The southpaw was 7-11 with a 3.54 ERA and 8.6 K/9 across three minor-league levels last season.