Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

I don’t usually assign homework in post titles but here we are. Jason Isringhausen has his last “make it or break it” day on Thursday. The 39-year-old reliever says he’s down to two options, “Just pitch well or go home.”

Izzy signed a Minor League deal to join the Angels but it will cost them another $100,000 to keep the former closer on their roster after Thursday. And he doesn’t appear to have any interest in pitching in the minors…

“I’ll just go home and be with my girls,” he said.

“I just have to go out there today and pitch the way I’m capable of pitching. And if I don’t today and tomorrow, I’ll go home. I understand the concept. That’s just how it is.”

Who can blame him? After being a 44th round pick by the Mets in 1991, Isringhausen has made north of $55 million over his 15 years in the Majors. So riding around in a bus while closing in on 40-years-old probably isn’t too appealing. Triple-A clubhouses don’t even carry Ensure.

Wednesday’s outing might give Izzy a shot at sticking though. He pitched a clean 7th inning with a strikeout. It caught the manager’s attention…

Veteran reliever Jason Isringhausen, who struggled with some mechanical problems in his previous appearance, retired the side in order with a strikeout in the seventh.

“He was in his delivery better, he had better arm speed,” Manager Mike Scioscia said of Isringhausen. He spun the ball well. He had good stuff.”

With Bobby Cassevah and Michael Kohn battling injuries, there are some spots in the bullpen to be won. I’m rooting for Izzy and so should you. I disregard the save statistic as much as the next nerd but Izzy has collected 300 of them over his career. He might be the mentor Jordan Walden needs to take the next step to becoming an elite reliever.

The free agent pool of relievers is drying up but the Angels are still casting lines. Ryan Madson signed with the Reds, Francisco Cordero signed with the Blue Jays and Brad Lidge signed with the Nationals. Jerry Dipoto, still looking for bullpen help, has tendered an offer to Luis Ayala per Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com…

The Angels are one of “a handful of teams” that have tendered a formal offer to Luis Ayla, but a source familiar with the negotiations said the free-agent reliever is still weighing his options and a decision is not imminent.

It’s unclear at this point whether the Angels have offered a Major League or a Minor League contract, but they are believed to be in the mix along with the Orioles, Yankees, Astros and perhaps others.

Ayala tossed a 2.09/4.19/4.15 (ERA/FIP/xFIP) pitching line for the Yankees in 2011 after spending 2010 toiling in Triple-A for the Yankees, Dodgers and Rockies. Still not excited? He’s a former Expo!

Ayala is just an arm. Bobby Cassevah had a 2.72/3.66/3.90 (ERA/FIP/xFIP) line for the Angels last year and made $414,000. Lidge at least used to be a dominant closer. Ayala might be running a Smoothie King by June.

If you need me, I’ll be looking up Angels junk on eBay.

“You’re never really done,” Dipoto said, “but as it pertains to where we are today, it’s very unlikely you’re going to see more significant additions to the team.”

*snip*

Dipoto is looking to create more depth in the bullpen, as evidenced by the Angels being linked to Brad Lidge and still keeping tabs on Francisco Cordero, among other relievers. But Dipoto doesn’t have much left to spend and, as he pointed out, depth “can come in a variety of different ways.”

Also according to Dipoto, don’t expect the Angels to trade one of Mark Trumbo, Kendrys Morales or Bobby Abreu for help either. Trumbo and Morales are coming along from their injuries slowly while Abreu just isn’t very good anymore.

I’d continue to break Garrett Richards in to the Majors by throwing him out of the bullpen in 2012 but that’s just the Earl Weaver in me. I’m still hopeful Kevin Jepsen can have a successful and injury free season soon but there’s no evidence to suggest that’s going to happen.