LA Angels: Did Minasian get the best of Cincinnati in Raisel Iglesias trade?

The Angels made the latest tweaks to their bullpen on Sunday, optioning Ty Buttrey and signing Noé Ramirez to a minor-league deal.

It’s a bit surprising, but the decision must be based on overall career experience because Buttrey has outperformed Ramirez up to this point in spring training.

2021 Spring Training Statistics:

• Buttrey (7 games): 7 IP 9 H 5 R 3 ER 4 BB 7 SO
• Ramirez (6 games): 6 IP 6 H 11 R 6 ER 4 BB 4 SO

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Both pitchers played key roles in the Halos inconsistent bullpen last summer. Ramirez posted a 3.00 ERA and 1.143 WHIP in 21 innings pitched, while Buttrey had a 5.81 ERA and 1.405 WHIP in 26.1 innings during the 2020 season.

Did Angels GM Perry Minasian win the trade for Raisel Iglesias?

General Manager Perry Minasian brought back Ramirez after he was traded for former Reds closer Raisel Iglesias in the offseason. Cincinnati cut the right-hander on Saturday to make room on the 40-man roster for a player like top-prospect Jonathan India.

If this were high-impact player, it would go down as a major fleece by Minasian. Given the struggles of Ramirez and his pending return to the big leagues, it’s going to take a while before that can be detirmined.

It’s doubtful Ramirez makes the Opening Day roster in the next week. He’ll need to go through COVID protocols first but could join the Halos at some point in the first month or two of the regular season.

I think the decision to send Buttrey down has to do with continuing his development while taking advantage of his remaining minor-league options. He has a 4.30 ERA and 1.296 WHIP in 115 career games.

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As it stands, a projected eight-man Angels bullpen consists of Iglesias, Alex Claudio, Mike Mayers, Jaime Barria, Junior Guerra, and Patrick Sandoval. Felix Pena would likely make the team but he has been dealing with hamstring issues.

The final spot(s) could come down to No.4 prospect Chris Rodriguez, Aaron Slegers, and the recently acquired AJ Ramos.