The Miami Marlins have signed infielder Eric Wagaman to a one-year Major League contract, the team announced Friday.
The Los Angeles Angels, who selected Wagaman in the minor league portion of the 2023 Rule 5 Draft, designated Wagaman for assignment in November. He was eventually non-tendered, making him a free agent.
Miami freed up space for Wagaman on the 40-man roster by designating infielder Vidal Bruján for assignment.
Wagaman got his start when the New York Yankees selected him in the 13th round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Orange Coast College. The first baseman worked his way up from Rookie ball to Low-A, then to Single-A, before COVID-19 resulted in a canceled 2020 campaign.
While Wagaman made it up to High-A in 2021, he had yet to put up a particularly impressive stat line in any of his four professional seasons to that point. Wagaman wasn't putting up crazy numbers in High-A in 2022 either, but he finished strong upon his promotion to Double-A to cap off a solid season overall.
That year, Wagaman hit .258 with 13 home runs, 32 RBI and an .814 OPS in 69 games. He appeared in 35 Double-A contests in 2023, batting .320 with five home runs, 16 RBI, 13 stolen bases and an .882 OPS.
Wagaman got poached from the Yankees' farm system shortly after, and he proceeded to hit .274 with 17 home runs, 60 RBI, 10 stolen bases and an .808 OPS in 121 combined Double-A and Triple-A contests for the Angels in 2024. He even got called up to make his MLB debut in September, batting .250 with two home runs, 10 RBI, a .673 OPS and a 0.4 WAR in 18 appearances.
The Angels had Wagaman transition to third base this season, so he now has the ability to man both infield spots. That specific blend of versatility could prove useful to the Marlins, who just traded Jake Burger to the Texas Rangers.