Candelario, who started the 2026 season with the Los Angeles Angels, is one of three former major leaguers who elected minor league free agency this week, MLB Trade Rumors reported on Oct. 8. The other two are pitchers Lawrence and Kranick.
Candelario signed with the Angels on a minor league contract last winter. He played well enough in spring training to make the Opening Day roster, but his time with the big-league club was short. He went 2 for 18 with eight strikeouts and one walk across seven games, and the Angels outrighted him in mid-April.
He played the rest of the season at Triple-A Salt Lake, where he hit .281/.377/.509 with 15 home runs in 387 plate appearances. MLB Trade Rumors listed his wRC+ as 116.
Before joining the Angels, the switch-hitter had a 3.2-fWAR, 22-homer season split between the Cubs and Nationals in 2023, which led to a free-agent deal with the Reds. Cincinnati released him in June 2025, about halfway through that contract.
Candelario turns 33 on Nov. 24. According to MLB Trade Rumors, he will look for another minor league deal.