Julio Teheran Gives LA Angels Reliability and Puts Them One Step Away

Per multiple reports, the LA Angels and free agent starting pitcher Julio Teheran are either in agreement or coming to an agreement on a one-year, $9 million contract.

As long as the LA Angels do wind up signing the 28-year old, their rotation will receive a huge boost as they continue their pursuit in free agency. Julio Teheran has spent his entire career in the National League with Atlanta to this point, and his numbers there are impressive.

I have written multiple times about Teheran this offseason. He is a legitimate value signing, and is exactly what the Angels needed as they continue to pursue Dallas Keuchel and Hyun-Jin Ryu (which this signing does not prevent them from doing).

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Julio Teheran brings exactly what the Angels have never had in their rotation: durability. He has thrown 170+ innings in each of the past seven seasons. In 2019, there wasn’t a single Angels starter who threw over 100 innings. Dylan Bundy, who the Angels also added this offseason, provides durability.

As far as Teheran goes, he is likely the Angels’ third starter come Opening Day. This can’t be the Angels’ final move to improve their rotation this winter, and the price tag is so low they can still be in on Ryu and Keuchel. Ryu’s price tag seems to be higher, so they could very well adjust their sights solely on Keuchel. And, you guessed it, Keuchel provides reliability too.

This Teheran signing takes the Angels from fringe playoff contenders to being one step away as possibly favorites for the Wild Card spot. Arte Moreno still has money left to spend, and the only notable holes on the roster are a final spot in the rotation and catcher (which is a bigger hole than most think).

I know one-year deals to veteran pitchers give Angels fans flashbacks to Matt Harvey and Trevor Cahill, but the Julio Teheran signing is on an entirely different level than those two deals. He is healthy, young, and still has some upside as a starter.

If the Angels can bring in their old friend Martin Maldonado to work with him, Teheran could be in for a career year before he hits free agency again next year.