Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels players: who played for both
Who played for both the Cubs and Angels?
134 players played for both the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Angels between 1961 and 2025, including Jose Cardenal, Bill Buckner, Jim Edmonds and Jay Johnstone. 77 of them played for the Cubs first and 53 for the Angels first; 4 played for both in the same season.
Did you know?
- Chuck Tanner is the earliest on this list to complete the pair: Cubs first, then the Angels from 1961.
- Ryan Brasier is the most recent: Angels first, then the Cubs from 2025.
- Jose Cardenal played the most games across the two: 821 for the Cubs and 396 for the Angels.
- 15 of them had two or more separate spells with one of the teams, such as Dave LaRoche.
- Most common positions on this list: P (63), OF (31), C (17), SS (9).
How many can you name?
Name players who played for both the Cubs and the Angels. The surname is enough. 0 / 134
All 134 players, most games for the two first
| Player | Pos | Cubs | Angels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Cardenal | OF | 1972–1977 (821 g) | 1965–1967 (396 g) |
| Bill Buckner | 1B | 1977–1984 (974 g) | 1987–1988 (76 g) |
| Jim Edmonds | OF | 2008 (85 g) | 1993–1999 (709 g) |
| Jay Johnstone | OF | 1982–1984 (236 g) | 1966–1970 (448 g) |
| Lee Thomas | OF | 1966–1967 (152 g) | 1961–1964 (486 g) |
| Andrelton Simmons | SS | 2022 (35 g) | 2016–2020 (561 g) |
| Willie Smith | OF | 1968–1970 (245 g) | 1964–1966 (344 g) |
| Dwight Smith | OF | 1989–1993 (536 g) | 1994 (45 g) |
| Geovany Soto | C | 2005–2012 (555 g) | 2016 (26 g) |
| Luis Valbuena | 3B | 2012–2014 (347 g) | 2017–2018 (213 g) |
| Gary Matthews | OF | 2000–2001 (186 g) | 2007–2009 (370 g) |
| Lee Smith | P | 1980–1987 (459 g) | 1995–1996 (63 g) |
| Mick Kelleher | SS | 1976–1980 (433 g) | 1982 (34 g) |
| Gary Gaetti | 3B | 1998–1999 (150 g) | 1991–1993 (302 g) |
| Tommy La Stella | 2B | 2015–2018 (303 g) | 2019–2020 (108 g) |
| Dave LaRoche | P | 1973–1974 (95 g) | 1970–1971, 1977–1980 (305 g) |
| Thad Bosley | OF | 1983–1986 (293 g) | 1977, 1988 (93 g) |
| Jerome Walton | OF | 1989–1992 (370 g) | 1993 (5 g) |
| Jose Molina | C | 1999 (10 g) | 2001–2007 (363 g) |
| Dave Kingman | OF | 1978–1980 (345 g) | 1977 (10 g) |
| Glenallen Hill | OF | 1993–1994, 1998–2000 (331 g) | 2001 (16 g) |
| Earl Averill | C | 1959–1960 (126 g) | 1961–1962 (207 g) |
| Billy Cowan | OF | 1963–1964 (153 g) | 1969–1972 (173 g) |
| Al Spangler | OF | 1967–1971 (258 g) | 1965–1966 (57 g) |
| Kyle Hendricks | P | 2014–2024 (280 g) | 2025 (31 g) |
| Bobby Bonds | OF | 1981 (45 g) | 1976–1977 (257 g) |
| Bob Patterson | P | 1996–1998 (188 g) | 1994–1995 (109 g) |
| Donnie Moore | P | 1975, 1977–1979 (141 g) | 1985–1988 (155 g) |
| John Lackey | P | 2016–2017 (61 g) | 2002–2009 (234 g) |
| Jorge Soler | OF | 2014–2016 (211 g) | 2025 (82 g) |
| Dexter Fowler | OF | 2015–2016 (281 g) | 2021 (7 g) |
| Rafael Ortega | OF | 2021–2022 (221 g) | 2016 (66 g) |
| Rudy Meoli | SS | 1978 (47 g) | 1971, 1973–1975 (233 g) |
| Matt Walbeck | C | 1993 (11 g) | 1998–2000 (262 g) |
| Chico Walker | OF | 1985–1987, 1991–1992 (239 g) | 1988 (33 g) |
| David DeJesus | OF | 2012–2013 (232 g) | 2015 (30 g) |
| Kevin Gregg | P | 2009, 2013 (134 g) | 2003–2006 (125 g) |
| Chuck McElroy | P | 1991–1993 (192 g) | 1996–1997 (53 g) |
| John Stephenson | C | 1967–1968 (20 g) | 1971–1973 (224 g) |
| Steve Bilko | 1B | 1954 (47 g) | 1961–1962 (178 g) |
| Steve Cishek | P | 2018–2019 (150 g) | 2021 (74 g) |
| Martin Maldonado | C | 2019 (4 g) | 2017–2018 (216 g) |
| Jimmie Hall | OF | 1969–1970 (39 g) | 1967–1968 (175 g) |
| Blake Parker | P | 2012–2014 (74 g) | 2017–2018 (138 g) |
| Jose Nieves | SS | 1998–2000 (138 g) | 2001–2002 (74 g) |
| Tony Campana | OF | 2011–2012 (184 g) | 2014 (18 g) |
| Joe Smith | P | 2016 (16 g) | 2014–2016 (184 g) |
| Dan Briggs | 1B | 1982 (48 g) | 1975–1977 (149 g) |
| Carl Edwards | P | 2015–2019 (194 g) | 2025 (2 g) |
| Scott Sanderson | P | 1984–1989 (161 g) | 1993, 1995–1996 (33 g) |
| Domingo Ramos | SS | 1989–1990 (183 g) | 1988 (10 g) |
| Chuck Tanner | OF | 1957–1958 (168 g) | 1961–1962 (14 g) |
| Ramon Ortiz | P | 2011 (22 g) | 1999–2004 (157 g) |
| Scott Downs | P | 2000 (18 g) | 2011–2013 (160 g) |
| Matt Duffy | 3B | 2021 (97 g) | 2022 (77 g) |
| Jeff Huson | SS | 2000 (70 g) | 1999 (97 g) |
| Shawn Boskie | P | 1990–1994 (109 g) | 1995–1996 (58 g) |
| Lou Johnson | OF | 1960, 1968 (96 g) | 1961, 1969 (68 g) |
| Justin Speier | P | 1998 (1 g) | 2007–2009 (154 g) |
| Mitch Williams | P | 1989–1990 (135 g) | 1995 (20 g) |
| Mike Bielecki | P | 1988–1991 (127 g) | 1995 (22 g) |
| Jon Jay | OF | 2017 (141 g) | 2021 (5 g) |
| LaTroy Hawkins | P | 2004–2005 (98 g) | 2012 (48 g) |
| Geoff Zahn | P | 1975–1976 (19 g) | 1981–1985 (123 g) |
| Phil Nevin | 3B | 2006 (67 g) | 1998 (75 g) |
| Merritt Ranew | C | 1963–1964 (94 g) | 1965 (41 g) |
| Efren Navarro | 1B | 2018 (4 g) | 2011, 2013–2015 (130 g) |
| Jack Spring | P | 1964 (7 g) | 1961–1964 (126 g) |
| Kent Bottenfield | P | 1996–1997 (112 g) | 2000 (21 g) |
| Ryan Tepera | P | 2020–2021 (64 g) | 2022–2023 (69 g) |
| Adrian Garrett | DH | 1970, 1973–1975 (65 g) | 1975–1976 (66 g) |
| Len Gabrielson | OF | 1964–1965 (117 g) | 1967 (11 g) |
| Don Lee | P | 1966 (16 g) | 1962–1965 (110 g) |
| Fernando Rodney | P | 2015 (14 g) | 2010–2011 (111 g) |
| Leo Burke | OF | 1963–1965 (98 g) | 1961–1962 (25 g) |
| Chuck Crim | P | 1994 (49 g) | 1992–1993 (68 g) |
| Billy Grabarkewitz | 3B | 1974 (53 g) | 1973 (61 g) |
| Cameron Maybin | OF | 2020 (18 g) | 2017 (93 g) |
| Jim Brewer | P | 1960–1963 (77 g) | 1975–1976 (34 g) |
| Lew Burdette | P | 1964–1965 (36 g) | 1966–1967 (73 g) |
| Hisanori Takahashi | P | 2013 (3 g) | 2011–2012 (103 g) |
| Jose Quintana | P | 2017–2020 (82 g) | 2021 (24 g) |
| Felix Peña | P | 2016–2017 (36 g) | 2018–2021 (69 g) |
| Michael Hermosillo | OF | 2021–2022 (47 g) | 2018–2020 (56 g) |
| Jerome Williams | P | 2005–2006 (23 g) | 2011–2013 (79 g) |
| Jonathan Lucroy | C | 2019 (27 g) | 2019 (74 g) |
| Andrew Romine | SS | 2021 (26 g) | 2010–2013 (74 g) |
| Trevor Cahill | P | 2015–2016 (62 g) | 2019 (38 g) |
| Tommy Davis | OF | 1970, 1972 (26 g) | 1976 (72 g) |
| Tyler Chatwood | P | 2018–2020 (71 g) | 2011 (27 g) |
| Jack Hiatt | C | 1970 (66 g) | 1964, 1972 (31 g) |
| Steve Renko | P | 1976–1977 (42 g) | 1981–1982 (53 g) |
| Kent Mercker | P | 2004 (71 g) | 2000 (21 g) |
| Dan Haren | P | 2015 (11 g) | 2010–2012 (80 g) |
| Steve Barber | P | 1970 (5 g) | 1972–1973 (84 g) |
| Jeff Robinson | P | 1992 (49 g) | 1991 (39 g) |
| Craig Lefferts | P | 1983 (56 g) | 1994 (30 g) |
| Ken Aspromonte | 2B | 1963 (20 g) | 1961 (66 g) |
| Jesse Chavez | P | 2018, 2022 (35 g) | 2017, 2022 (49 g) |
| Mike Harkey | P | 1988, 1990–1993 (72 g) | 1995 (12 g) |
| Josh Paul | C | 2003 (3 g) | 2004–2005 (80 g) |
| Ian Stewart | 3B | 2012 (55 g) | 2014 (24 g) |
| Ken Patterson | P | 1992 (32 g) | 1993–1994 (47 g) |
| Ed Bailey | C | 1965 (66 g) | 1966 (5 g) |
| Hector Neris | P | 2024 (46 g) | 2025 (21 g) |
| Wesley Wright | P | 2014 (58 g) | 2015 (9 g) |
| Rich Hill | P | 2005–2008 (64 g) | 2014 (2 g) |
| Gary Ross | P | 1968–1969 (15 g) | 1975–1977 (49 g) |
| Andrew Chafin | P | 2020–2021 (47 g) | 2025 (16 g) |
| Mike Fyhrie | P | 2001 (15 g) | 1999–2000 (48 g) |
| Del Rice | C | 1960 (18 g) | 1961 (44 g) |
| Bill Stoneman | P | 1967–1968 (46 g) | 1974 (13 g) |
| Jonathan Villar | SS | 2022 (46 g) | 2022 (13 g) |
| Dick Selma | P | 1969 (36 g) | 1974 (18 g) |
| Curt Simmons | P | 1966–1967 (36 g) | 1967 (14 g) |
| Rene Rivera | C | 2017 (20 g) | 2018 (30 g) |
| Brendan Harris | SS | 2004 (3 g) | 2013 (44 g) |
| Hoyt Wilhelm | P | 1970 (3 g) | 1969 (44 g) |
| Rick Stelmaszek | C | 1974 (25 g) | 1973 (22 g) |
| Horacio Pina | P | 1974 (34 g) | 1974 (11 g) |
| Mike O'Berry | C | 1980 (19 g) | 1983 (26 g) |
| Ismael Valdez | P | 2000 (13 g) | 2001 (27 g) |
| Bobby Smith | OF | 1962 (13 g) | 1965 (23 g) |
| Ryan Brasier | P | 2025 (28 g) | 2013 (7 g) |
| Joel Peralta | P | 2016 (5 g) | 2005 (28 g) |
| Archie Reynolds | P | 1968–1970 (16 g) | 1971 (15 g) |
| Austin Romine | C | 2021 (28 g) | 2022 (3 g) |
| Jake Jewell | P | 2021 (10 g) | 2018–2019 (21 g) |
| Andrew Lorraine | P | 1999–2000 (20 g) | 1994 (4 g) |
| Brian Dorsett | C | 1996 (17 g) | 1988 (7 g) |
| Rob Zastryzny | P | 2016–2018 (18 g) | 2022 (5 g) |
| Nicky Lopez | 2B | 2025 (14 g) | 2025 (5 g) |
| Bobby Darwin | OF | 1977 (11 g) | 1962 (1 g) |
| Ben VanRyn | P | 1998 (9 g) | 1996 (1 g) |
From the SABR Lahman Baseball Database (CC BY-SA 3.0), 1876–2025. A season counts when the player played at least one regular-season game for the franchise.Cubs seasons include the Chicago White Stockings (1876–1889), Chicago Colts (1890–1897) and Chicago Orphans (1898–1902).Angels seasons include the California Angels (1965–1996) and Anaheim Angels (1997–2004).
What next? Play today's MLB Grid
Fill a 3×3 board of team pairs like this one, with nine guesses and a rarity score. New board every day.
More “played for both” lists
Chicago Cubs and…
Reds 337Cardinals 329Phillies 322Braves 312Dodgers 300Pirates 298Giants 288Guardians 223White Sox 212Yankees 210
Questions
How many players have played for both the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Angels?
134 in the Lahman Baseball Database from 1961 to 2025, including Jose Cardenal, Bill Buckner, Jim Edmonds and Jay Johnstone. A player counts when he played at least one regular-season game for each franchise.
Who was the first player on this list to play for both?
Chuck Tanner: Chicago Cubs first, then the Los Angeles Angels from 1961.
Who has played for both recently?
Kyle Hendricks, Jorge Soler, Carl Edwards, Hector Neris, Andrew Chafin and Ryan Brasier and 1 more, with a season for one of the two in 2024 or 2025.
Does a player count if the team has moved or changed its name?
Yes. Seasons count for today's franchise, the way the Lahman database links every team-season to a franchise. Cubs seasons include the Chicago White Stockings (1876–1889), Chicago Colts (1890–1897) and Chicago Orphans (1898–1902). Angels seasons include the California Angels (1965–1996) and Anaheim Angels (1997–2004).
Careers from the SABR Lahman Baseball Database (CC BY-SA 3.0). Team logos are trademarks of their respective teams (logos via TheSportsDB). Independent and not affiliated with MLB or any team. Credits