1 reliever the Angels should target, 1 they should avoid after latest updates

1 reliever the Angels should steer clear from in free agency: Luis García

Pros: The familiarity is great, and he had the lowest xFIP of any Angels pitcher who threw at least 25 innings for them last season. He generates a lot of ground balls with his 96.4mph sinker, which meshes well with the ethos of Angels pitchers. The Angels surely need more velocity out of the bullpen,

Cons: García is a good pitcher who does not pitch good, to paraphrase Brad Pitt's Billy Beane in Moneyball. His value simply does not match up to his stuff. According to Baseball Savant, Pitching Run Value (15th percentile), Fastball Run Value (20th percentile), Breaking Run Value (22nd percentile), and Offspeed Run Value (41st percentile) were all below average. Sure, he has top-notch velocity, generates a lot of chase outside the zone, stays in the zone well, limits free passes, and gets a lot of ground balls. The results are just not there, however. The strikeout numbers, in particular. He is projected for a paltry 8.15 K/9 in 2025, and posted below average strikeout numbers the past two seasons. The soon-to-be 38-year-old got consistently shelacked and eventually went down with injury once he was traded to the Red Sox.

While it may be tempting to re-sign García and it would be fun to pair him with the players the Angels received when they traded him last season (Ryan Zeferjahn in particular), his 2025 results are unlikely to match his 2024 production while pitching out of the Angels' bullpen. He would be cheap, but there are both internal and external options that would fit better for the Angels next year.

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