ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Outfielder Mickey Moniak was released by the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday after beating the team in salary arbitration and will receive $483,781 in termination pay rather than his $2 million salary.
Under the collective bargaining agreement that started in 2022, salaries of arbitration-eligible players that are agreed to are guaranteed but salaries determined by arbitration panels are not. Players with nonguaranteed contracts who are released during the 15 days prior to opening day receive 45 days termination pay.
Last year, New York Mets pitcher Phil Bickford and San Francisco third baseman J.D. Davis were released during spring training after winning in arbitration.
Los Angeles also agreed with infielder Nicky Lopez on an $850,000, one-year contract, designated left-handers José Quijada and Angel Perdomo for assignment and selected the contracts of shortstop Tim Anderson from Triple-A Salt Lake and right-hander Ryan Johnson from the Arizona Complex League Angels.
Johnson was selected in the second round of last year’s amateur draft out of Dallas Baptist and would become only the third player since 2001 to play in the major leagues without appearing in the minors, after pitchers Garrett Crochet and Mike Leake.
Anderson gets a $1.25 million salary while in the major leagues. The 31-year-old won the 2019 AL batting title and was an All-Star with the Chicago White Sox in 2021 and ’22.
He hit .214 with no homers, nine RBIs and four stolen bases in 234 at-bats last year with the Miami Marlins, all career lows. Anderson didn’t play between May 10 and 21 because of lower back tightness. He was designated for assignment on July 2 and released three days later.
Moniak hit .219 with 14 homers and 49 RBIs last season for the Angels, who acquired the former No. 1 overall draft pick from Philadelphia in August 2022 in a trade for pitcher Noah Syndergaard. In 2 1/2 seasons with Los Angeles, Moniak batted .242 with 100 RBIs and a .709 OPS.
He was awarded the $2 million salary on Jan. 31 instead of the team's $1.5 million offer.
Moniak was expected to share the Angels' starting job in center field this season with Jo Adell, making his release a surprising development two days before the start of the regular season.
Moniak's release appeared to open a roster spot for Matthew Lugo, the 23-year-old outfielder acquired from Boston at last year's trade deadline in a deal for reliever Luis García. Lugo has never played in the majors.
The Angels open the season Thursday on the road against the White Sox. Los Angeles has the majors' longest active streaks of nine straight losing seasons and 10 straight non-playoff seasons.
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Los Angeles Angels' Mickey Moniak, right, is caught stealing by Cincinnati Reds' Matt McLain during the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Goodyear, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mookie Betts is no longer ailing, finally able to keep food down and eating up a storm to pack on the weight he dropped while battling a stomach virus during the first two weeks of the season.
And, as the eight-time All-Star reminded everyone, “I'm still good at baseball.”
He surely is.
The Los Angeles Dodgers star hit two home runs, including a three-run blast in the 10th inning that gave the defending World Series champions a come-from-behind 8-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Friday night.
“That was not on my bingo card,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He just does some special things.”
The Dodgers are off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 1981, a year they won the World Series.
Betts had his third career walk-off homer. In the eighth, his first homer of the season put the Dodgers in front for the first time.
“Right now I’m just having fun hitting 160-pound homers,” he said, smiling.
Betts went 3 for 5 with three runs and four RBIs on a night when the Dodgers received their glittering World Series rings.
“We were joking around that that first home run he hit was probably his best hope that he’s got right now with all the strength that he’s got,” third baseman Max Muncy said, “but he one-upped it so we were all wrong on that one.”
Betts traveled with the team to Japan for their season-opening two-game series with the Chicago Cubs. But he returned early, flying back before ever suiting up because of the virus that caused him to lose about 15 pounds.
“I’m at 165 now, so another seven or eight pounds will help me a lot but 10 would be ideal,” he said.
How does he plan to gain?
“Keep eating. Just eating all day,” he said. “My chef and wife, both of them are doing enough cooking. I'm eating during the game.”
Betts couldn't keep any food down when he was feeling his worst and initially not knowing what was wrong added to his stress.
So when his game-winning shot off Beau Brieske sailed into the left-field pavilion, Betts pounded his fist as he rounded the bases, his head full of thoughts and his teammates waiting for him at the plate.
“Just the fight that I’ve kind of been through, the ups and downs, the nights where I’m just crying because I’m sick,” he said. “My wife there and just kind of holding me. That’s really where that emotion kind of comes from.”
Betts raised his right arm in the air, tossed his helmet toward the dugout and hopped a few times as he approached the plate. His teammates celebrated by dousing him in water.
“I can't say enough about Mookie,” Roberts said. “He won a ballgame for us.”
Betts came to the plate in the 10th after back-to-back singles by Will Smith and Shohei Ohtani, who took second on defensive indifference.
“The pressure was kind of off,” Betts said. “We were going to get another at-bat with Freddie (Freeman) there and we all know what Freddie does in those type of situations. It was just kind of relax, if you do, cool, if you don’t that’s OK.”
And Betts did.
“I know it sounds super-selfish," he said, “but I was really proud of myself.”
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Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts rounds seance after hitting a solo home run during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
CORRECTS TO DELETE AN EXTRANEOUS PHRASE OF OPENING-DAY - Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts celebrates as he runs to first after hitting a walk-off three-run home run during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers Friday, March 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, center, celebrates with Shohei Ohtani, left, and catcher Will Smith as he scores after hitting a walk-off three-run home run during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers Friday, March 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts celebrates as he runs to first after hitting a walk-off three-run home run during the 10th inning of an opening-day baseball game against the Detroit Tigers Friday, March 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts celebrates as he runs to first after hitting a walk-off three-run home run during the 10th inning of an opening-day baseball game against the Detroit Tigers Friday, March 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts hits a walk-off three-run home run as Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler watches during the 10th inning of a baseball game Friday, March 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
