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Angels Re-Sign Reliever To A Minor-League Deal As Bullpen Roulette Continues
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- Angels Re-Sign Reliever To A Minor-League Deal As Bullpen Roulette Continues
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The Los Angeles Angels continue to shuffle relievers in an effort to upgrade the performance of their problematic bullpen, as they re-signed right-hander Shaun Anderson just days after they designated the reliever for assignment., according to a report from Anthony Franco of MLBTradeRumors.com.
The 31-year old reliever chose free agency after being DFA'ed on Tuesday, but this is a familiar move for both Anderson and the Angels.
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This is the sixth time they've gone through this sequence, according to Franco, and the way it usually goes is that the Angels call up Anderson when they need a long reliever, then DFA him when they need a fresh arm. Anderson then clears waivers, elects free agency and returns on a new non-roster deal.
It may not be the most functional way to manage a bullpen, but Anderson did get a slightly longer run this month. He made nine appearances and allowed 13 runs, 11 of them earned, over 16-2/3 innings. Anderson struck out 12, walked eight and surrendered three homers. He's now up to a total of 28 MLB innings as an Angel, with an ERA of 7.71 since the start of 2025.
The Florida product spent the majority of last season at Triple-A Salt Lake, where he worked as a starter and allowed just six earned runs through 24 innings, so he profiles as a classic "Four-A" pitcher who excels in the minors but can't keep it together when he's brought up.
Anderson will probably stay stretched out as a starter at Salt Lake, according to Franco, and there's a good chance he and the Angels will wind up repeating this sequence at least one more time this season given the state of their pitching staff.
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The Angels bullpen has been a disaster so far, to the point where it's the biggest reason the Halos have lost 10 of their last 11 games. Manager Kurt Suzuki and pitching coach Mike Maddux have no idea what they're going to get when they send most of these marginal relievers like Anderson to the hill, and that's unlikely to change any time soon.
The one piece of good news the Angels got this week is that reliever Ben Joyce started a rehab assignment at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. The 25-year old right-hander throws hard and has an impressive arsenal of pitches, and if he can stay healthy and slot into the closer role it would help bring some amount of stability to the Angels beleaguered bullpen.
