ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Los Angeles Angels have veteran outfielder Dexter Fowler of the St. Louis Cardinals for cash or a player named later.
The clubs announced the deal on Thursday evening.
Fowler hit .233 last season with four homers and 15 RBI’s in 23 games, his fourth at St. Louis. The switch-hitting former Rockies and Cubs slugger is a .259 career hitter with 127 homers and 561 RBI’s.
While Fowler, 35, can play all three outfield positions, he’s likely a short-term fix in the right field for the Angels, who have said they’d rather give Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh more minor league development time.
Adell, a 21-year-old who is the Halo’s best prospect, struggled last season during his Major League-debut as their daily right fielder, hitting .161 with a .478 OPS in 38 games.
Fowler is entering his 13th full season in the big league in the last year of a five-year contract worth $ 82 million. He has a salary of $ 14.5 million in 2021, and St. Louis will remain responsible for the two final $ 1 million installments of his $ 10 million signing bonus, which expires July 1 and October 1.
As part of the transaction, the Cardinals agreed to pay the Angels $ 12.75 million in 12 installments of $ 1,062,500 on the 15th and last day of each month from April to September.
Fowler earned his only All-Star roster and his only World Series ring in 2016 with Chicago under current Angels manager Joe Maddon. His switch-hitting skills will rival right-handed outfielders Mike Trout, Justin Upton, and Adell.
Fowler has spent just one season of his career in the American League, having played for Houston in 2014.