Jeimer Candelario finds a new home but the Reds still feel the consequences

Thankfully, Jeimer Candelario's lingering contract commitment — one that will require the Cincinnati Reds to fork over $16 million this season — didn't negate the front office's ability to reunite with two-time All-Star Eugenio Suárez. But there's no doubt that the Reds are still feeling the pinch from one the worst free-agent signings in franchise history.

After struggling out the gate in 2025, Candelario was designated for assignment midway through the season and was plucked off waivers by the New York Yankees. He spent the remainder of the year in Triple-A and elected free agency this past November after struggling to hit over .200 with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

While his time in Cincinnati will not be remembered favorably, Candelario is hoping to flip the script out west after agreeing a minor-league deal with the Los Angeles Angels. According to New York Post columnist Jon Heyman, Candelario will receive an invite to spring training, and if he breaks camp with the Halos, will earn $780,000 in 2026.

Former Reds free-agent flop Jeimer Candelario lands minor-league deal with the Angels

The Reds agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal with Candelario ahead of the 2024 season after he hit .251/.336/.471 while splitting time between the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs in 2023. Cincinnati was in the market for an impact bat, and Candelario seemed like the perfect veteran presence to help lead their young core into the future.

Unfortunately, nothing could've been further from the truth. Though Candelario provided plenty of pop during his first season in the Queen City, he failed to stay on the field and his defense took a major step backward. He appeared in just 112 games during the 2024 season, and while he cracked 20 homers, still only managed to post a .225/.279/.429 slash line with an 89 wRC+.

Last season was an epic disaster. Injuries derailed any chance of Candelario making amends, and after just 22 games and fewer than 100 plate appearances, the Reds had seen enough. The Reds, somewhat callously, activated Candelario from the IL and immediately DFA'd him. It ended the one-and-a-half year nightmare, but the effects of that mistake still linger.

Despite playing for the Yankees organization over the second-half of the 2025 season, Candelario was being paid by the Reds. The same will hold true in 2026. The Angels have nothing to lose if Candelario makes the Opening Day roster because Cincinnati will be footing the bill.

Candelario represents the third free-agent whiff the Reds have made over the last five years. Shogo Akiyama was let go with one year and $8 million remaining on his deal, and Mike Moustakas was released a year prior to the expiration of his four-year, $64 million contract. Let's hope Cincinnati's front office has learned its lesson, and Candelario represents the last free-agent mistake the Reds ever make.