Angels sign Gosselin to Minor League deal
ANAHEIM -- The Angels bolstered their infield depth on Tuesday by signing veteran infielder Phil Gosselin to a Minor League deal. Gosselin also received an invitation to Major League Spring Training.
Gosselin, 32, has played parts of eight seasons in the Majors with the Braves, D-backs, Pirates, Rangers, Reds and Phillies. He's a career .261/.314/.361 hitter in 359 games and has experience at all four infield spots and both corner outfield spots, although he’s best as a second baseman. He batted .250/.324/.402 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 39 games with Philadelphia last year.
Gosselin will compete for a job as a backup infielder along with Franklin Barreto, Luis Rengifo and Robel García, among others. Matt Thaiss could also be in that mix as well as Kean Wong, who is a non-roster invitee to camp. Of that group, Barreto is the only one who is out of Minor League options, which could give him a leg up if the competition is close at the end of camp.
The starting infield is set with Anthony Rendon at third, José Iglesias at shortstop, David Fletcher at second base, and a combination of Jared Walsh and Albert Pujols at first base. There remains a chance the club will carry two backup infielders despite the platoon situation at first base.
Gosselin is one of several non-roster invitees with Major League experience, joining Wong, catcher Juan Graterol, reliever Junior Guerra, and outfielders Juan Lagares and Scott Schebler.