LA Angels: 3 Relievers To Take Their Bullpen From Good to Great

The LA Angels’ bullpen was one of their better units in 2019 before being overworked due to the inefficient starting rotation.

However, there is always room for improvement and the LA Angels would be foolish to completely overlook the market for bullpen help. Sure, it isn’t their biggest need but a free agent addition or two could take this group from a good collection to a true weapon for Joe Maddon to utilize.

While these three guys aren’t all of the elite group of relievers on the market, they’re all proven arms who have found years of success in the big leagues. We all know the Angels’ biggest focus will be on the starting rotation, but that doesn’t mean they should completely avoid the free agent relief market.

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These three names would all bring immense value to an Angels bullpen that showed serious flashes in 2019.

1.) Daniel Hudson

Remember when the Angels brought Daniel Hudson is as a Spring Training invite and then he didn’t make the team for Opening Day? Remember when Daniel Hudson was absolutely nails for the Washington Nationals en route to their first ever World Series and threw the final pitch to record the final out in their Game 7 win?

Haha.

Anyways, the Angels have a chance to make up for their errors of last year. Hudson has hit free agency and despite the success he found last year, doesn’t seem like he’ll be costing a ton of money this winter.

Sure, the Angels will have to pay up on a multi-year deal. However, Hudson is the perfect target for the Angels if they’re focusing the majority of their money on starting pitching. He’s a name to keep an eye on, and could slot in effectively alongside Hansel Robles, Keynan Middleton, and Ty Buttrey.

2.) Dellin Betances

Arguably the best relief pitcher in all of baseball of the past five years, Dellin Betances is coming off a nightmare 2019 season. He spent a large majority of the season rehabbing from shoulder/lat injuries. When he finally made his way back to the mound, it was only for 0.2 innings.

After he made one appearance for the Yankees, Betances suffered a partial tear in his Achilles tendon. That ended his season less than an inning after it had begun, and added heaps of skepticism as Betances hits the open market.

This could be a signing that takes a long, long time to develop. Teams will be scared of the injury, age (he’ll turn 32 in March), and price tag. However, before this season Betances had a 2.22 ERA over the past five years of his career. He is as elite as relief pitchers come.

If the Angels want to try and find a steal in terms of value this offseason, offering Betances a 2-3-year deal early on might be enough to secure his services. In terms of AAV, $12-15 million a year with incentives for Betances should be a fair offer for both sides.

For Betances, he locks up a good sum of money and hits the market again at 34/35 for one last chance to cash in should he remain effective. The Angels stay patient with Betances’ rehab, and get an All Star reliever to pair with Hansel Robles for the next few years.