Los Angeles Angels Sign Up 2022 Silver Slugger Award Winner To Two-Year Deal

The Los Angeles Angels have signed Brandon Drury to a two-year deal worth $17 million, a move that should add depth to the MLB team's bats.

The move was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Drury is coming off a good season where he split time between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Diego Padres.

He went deep 28 times with 87 RBIs and a .813 OPS over 138 games and ended up winning the 2022 Silver Slugger Award.

The Oregon native also had stops with other MLB teams such as Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets in his eight-year career.

Furthermore, Drury will be the latest addition to the lineup after acquiring the likes of Hunter Renfroe and Gio Urshela this winter.

His addition also adds depth the team has not had in recent years that should give Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani some needed lift.

One thing that the Angels will be banking on about Drury is versatility. Last MLB season, the 30-year-old played in all four infield positions.

His journey this year started with Drury initially signing a minor league deal with Cincinnati.

He would make the Opening Day roster of the Reds and went on to hit 20 home runs in 92 games, turning himself from an afterthought into a coveted deadline trade target.

Drury was sent to the Padres last August 2 in exchange for Victor Acosta.

He made an immediate impact, hitting a grand slam on his first pitch in a Padres uniform the following day.

The Angels are retooling for relevancy after finishing the last MLB season with a 73-89 mark.

Los Angeles is expecting its offense with the addition of Drury, Renfroe and Urshela to a lineup that already has Ohtani, Trout, Rendon, Taylor Ward and Jared Walsh.

Looking ahead, the Angels are expected to pursue a starting pitch and bullpen help.

Their payroll is now at roughly $205 million, which is about $18 million more than its final wage limit in 2022.