Angels acquire IF Mayfield, DFA García

The Angels acquired infielder Jack Mayfield in a trade with the Braves for cash considerations, the club announced Thursday. Fellow infielder Robel García was designated for assignment to make room for Mayfield on the roster.

Mayfield, 30, appeared in 47 career games with the Astros over the past two seasons, batting .170/.198/.283 with two homers and eight RBIs. He was claimed by Atlanta off waivers on Nov. 20, just days after new Angels general manager Perry Minasian left the Braves organization.

Mayfield has seen action at shortstop, second base and third base in the Majors and has had more success offensively in the Minor Leagues. Mayfield is a career .272/.330/.461 hitter in 677 career games in the Minors.

Mayfield still has Minor League options remaining, which gives the Angels some flexibility, as he can be sent to and from the Minors freely this season. He’ll compete for a backup infielder role this spring along with Franklin Barreto, Luis Rengifo and non-roster invitee Phil Gosselin.

García, meanwhile, was selected off waivers by the Angels from the Mets on Feb. 3. He had ties to manager Joe Maddon, as his lone season in the Majors came with the Cubs in 2019, when he batted .208/.275/.500 with five homers and 11 RBIs in 31 games.

When a player's contract is designated for assignment -- often abbreviated "DFA" -- that player is immediately removed from his club's 40-man roster. Within seven days of the transaction, the player can either be traded or placed on irrevocable outright waivers. If García goes unclaimed, he could remain with the organization.

Maddon impressed by Ohtani
Maddon watched Shohei Ohtani throw his live bullpen session on Wednesday and liked what he saw from the right-hander, who touched 97 mph while throwing to hitters. Ohtani is fully healthy this spring and ready for two-way status, as he also served as a hitter in live BPs on Tuesday.

“The ball was coming out hot, and he was throwing some good sliders, too,” Maddon said. “No hyperbole, the last couple days I've watched him, it's been better than any time I saw him last year. Talking about delivery, velocity, finish, just the way he looked on the mound. [He is] just more connected than any time I saw last year. We just gotta keep him right there, and we'll continue to build off it."

Angels tidbits
• Maddon continued to preach the importance of clubhouse chemistry on Thursday and noted that’s why they brought in players such as Alex Cobb, Dexter Fowler, Kurt Suzuki and Jon Jay this offseason. Maddon managed Cobb with the Rays and Fowler, who was acquired earlier this month, and Jay with the Cubs.

“All these guys that were brought in, we were really paying attention to makeup,” Maddon said. “They've been there before. They've been very successful. It's going to be a very interesting room this year."

• Maddon said he’s continued to watch superstar Mike Trout evolve as a clubhouse leader and that his teammates are naturally drawn to him.

"He's always searching for better ways to do things," Maddon said. "He's very accountable to himself. I think primarily Mike leads by example. He's not necessarily going to stand up and be loud, although in the Zoom meetings we've had, he's spoken up and he's spoken really well. I just think as we get better and win, he'll be more apt to voice what he's thinking and truly find his leadership voice. But I constantly see him getting better."