After the 1981 season and shortly after his 31st birthday, Foli was traded again, moving from Pittsburgh to the California Angels in exchange for 22-year-old catcher Brian Harper. Foli was reunited with Gene Mauch, his manager from Montreal. He was slated to be a utility infielder for the Angels, but when Rick Burleson suffered a torn rotator cuff in mid-April, Foli spent the season as the starting shortstop. A mid-September winning streak propelled the Angels into first place and into the 1982 American League playoffs, but they lost to the Milwaukee Brewers three games to two, as Foli managed only two hits and one RBI.