Could Austin Wynns Lead To a Shocking Turnaround For the Los Angeles Angels?

The Angels, who have just acquired Austin Wynns, have been doing terribly, which is no secret. Every time they start doing decently, they start losing pretty badly again. One reason that they can’t get better is because of their heavy reliance on expensive players like Mike Trout and their unwillingness to take care of their new guys, if they acquire any decent new players at all. Could this new player, whom the Angels acquired, potentially change all that?

Who Is Austin Wynns?

Wynns is famous for playing the position of catcher. Before signing a minor league deal with the Angels, he played for the Oakland Athletics. He is a veteran known for having pretty good depth, and he has also played for the Orioles, Giants, Dodgers, Rockies, and Reds. His nickname is apparently “Winnie.”

He hasn’t been doing very well this season. Playing with the Athletics, he really struggled offensively. This led him to be designated for assignment. Shortly later, he was released.

However, the Angels do seem to think that Wynns could be a reliable catcher. Also, while he has struggled offensively, he has done pretty well defensively. With all of the Angels getting injured, they could use someone steady. However, there are no promises that this Wynns character will be their saving grace.

Could Wynns Be Any Help To the Angels?

Wynns is highly respected as a veteran catcher. However, he does have a .231 batting average, which is not great. Historically, he’s good for some temporary relief from team instability. He is not what you’d call a great long-term solution. He is expendable.

Is Wynns Getting Any Better?

Every once in a while, Wynns will do pretty well offensively. He is more of a defense-first depth piece. He does have a strong arm, though. He had a good season back in 2025. In 2025, he actually had an incredible start with the Cincinnati Reds. Back then, he was batting .400 with 3 home runs and 11 RBI in only 18 games. So what changed? Well, in June of that year, the Athletics acquired Wynns. He continued to play fairly well.

However, later that year, in early August, he suffered a strained abdomen. He was initially placed on the 10-day injured list, which eventually led to his season coming to an end. When a player has to end a season because of an injury, the hope is that in their next season, they will have a strong comeback.

However, it doesn’t seem like Wynns ever really got that comeback. He was a pretty good player at one time. Could he be good, or at least decent again? He indeed had a good start in 2025, but it could have possibly just been luck.