Angels sign Suzuki to reported 1-year, $1.5M deal

The Los Angeles Angels signed veteran catcher Kurt Suzuki, the club announced Friday.

It's a one-year pact worth $1.5 million, sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Suzuki spent the last two seasons with the Washington Nationals, where he was part of a catching tandem with Yan Gomes. He played an important role in the Nationals' 2019 World Series run, posting a .809 OPS with 17 homers that year and adding another dinger in the Fall Classic.

The 37-year-old Hawaii native hit .270/.349/.396 with two homers and 17 RBIs over 129 plate appearances for the Nats last season. For his career, he's a .259/.316/.392 hitter across 14 seasons with four teams and was an All-Star with the Minnesota Twins in 2014.

His move to Anaheim marks a return to Southern California as he played college baseball at nearby Cal State Fullerton. He might also be familiar with new Angels general manager Perry Minasian, who worked in the Atlanta Braves' front office during Suzuki's two seasons there.

Suzuki will likely slot in as the Angels' everyday catcher next season and could provide a slight upgrade over incumbent starter Max Stassi and backup Anthony Bemboom.

The Halos have reportedly been looking at upgrades behind the plate all winter. They've recently been connected to free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto and Chicago Cubs All-Star Willson Contreras in trade talks. The Angels also made a failed run at James McCann earlier this offseason.