LA Angels: Hansel Robles signed away by Minnesota Twins

The Angels recently designated Hansel Robles for assignment and he will pursue another bullpen gig with the Minnesota Twins.

28-year-old right-handed reliever Hansel Robles has signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Minnesota Twins with the potential for an additional $500,000 in incentives, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Hansel Robles was the closer for a short period of time with the Halos and was fantastic in the 2019 season. Robles posted a 2.48 ERA and 2.88 FIP across the campaign, with an excellent strikeout to walk ratio that ended around 4.69 strikeouts per walk. The right-hander saw a tremendous fall from grace in the shortened 2020 season as his walk rate ballooned 6.8 percent and his strikeout rate dipped a bit. He ended the season with just 16 2/3 innings to his ledger, but he allowed a whopping 19 earned runs in his limited work.

While Robles was great in 2019 and horrifyingly bad in 2020, he is still a pitcher with a world of potential in the back end of a bullpen. The Minnesota Twins will now try and revitalize his career and capitalize on the Angels designating him for assignment.

There is still a lot to like about Robles. While many fans saw his 2020 and dreaded when he came on the mound, many also remember his lockdown ninth inning presence in 2019. If Robles could have returned to form in 2021 like his 2019 season, the Angels could have used him as a setup man behind the recently-acquired right-hander Raisel Iglesias.

Robles is only 30 years old so he still has some time to correct himself after a so-so start to his major league career with the New York Mets.

The Angels’ top options behind Raisel Iglesias at the moment are Mike Mayers, Ty Buttrey, and Alex Claudio. Mayers had a solid 2020 season, Buttrey has a ton of upside, and Claudio has been a very steady relief presence the past few seasons. The Angels bullpen is not star-studded by any means, but it is not something to be afraid of as a fan. Moves need to be made to improve it, but signing a handful of relievers to too-expensive contracts is not the way to go. Finding bargain bin relievers with loads of potential and then spending money on free agent starting pitching is it.