2 best free-agent reliever targets the Angels could add in spring training

Spring training is underway, but that doesn't mean the free-agent market is officially dead. While the position player and starting pitcher pools have been pretty much picked clean, there's still a handful of relievers out there that can be difference-makers. That's good news for the Angels who earlier this offseason stated that they were in the market to add two-to-three bullpen arms.

Since then, the Angels have made a big bullpen splash, inking a potential future Hall of Famer, Kenley Jansen, to a one-year, $10 million contract. Recent news throws doubt on whether the Angels have more money to spend, and if they do it's unclear if it will be enough to land another big fish for the 'pen.

That said, the following three names could take what is now a much-improved bullpen with Jansen and launch it into the stratosphere of the league's elite.

1. David Robertson

Robertson to the Angels might be a bit less likely now with Jansen in the fold, but if they're serious about competing there's no one left on the market who is better.

Robertson is in his twilight years, turning 40 in April, but the longtime high-leverage reliever is still highly effective. Last year with Texas he served as the primary setup man, posting an ERA of 3.00, a FIP of 2.65, and 12.38 K/9 in 68 appearances and 72 innings pitched.

The Angels already have a prime mentor for the ascending Ben Joyce in Kenley Jansen, but if they wanted to double down on quality veteran presences to lead their prized youngster to success, there's no one better than Robertson.

The wily vet has excelled both as a setup man and closer and brings with him a wealth of big-game experience. Not only that, but he had the experience of being the successor to the legendary Mariano Rivera in his first stint as a closer, which makes him a valuable shoulder to lean on as Joyce looks to replace Jansen in 2026 as the full-time closer.

A back-end of the bullpen featuring Jansen, Robertson, and Joyce might be the best in the league, and the pressure they'd take off of the rotation would be invaluable, providing a trickledown improvement beyond just the late innings.

2. Andrew Chafin

The Angels could have up to four lefties slated to be in the pen this season -- Brock Burke, José Quijada, Garret McDaniels, and José Suarez -- yet they were still connected to highly sought-after lefty specialist, Tim Hill, earlier in the offseason.

Why, given the plethora of southpaws already on the roster, have they been looking at lefty relievers? Well, Suarez has been awful for years and his 6.02 ERA last season is just par for the course for him. McDaniels is a Rule-5 pick, which helps his case to stay on the 26-man roster. However, the highest level of competition he's faced is AA, where he's logged just three career innings pitched.

Quijada has an electric fastball but threw it a ludicrous 94% of the time last season. On top of that, while he was able to post an 11.17 K/9, he issued walks at a comically high rate of 7.91 BB/9. There's potential there, but the 29-year-old is still very much a work in progress.

Finally, Brock Burke put up a ghastly 9.22 ERA last year with the Rangers before coming over and putting up a much more respectable 3.54 mark with the Angels. He threw just 34 innings last year and his extreme performance variance makes him wholly unreliable.

Chafin isn't an elite reliever like Robertson, but as a lefty, he can get the job done more often than not in the late innings. Last season, he pitched to a 3.51 ERA over 62 appearances and 56.1 innings. He can get strikeouts, 11.18 K/9 last season, but also has a propensity to issue walks as shown by his 4.95 BB/9 last season.

There's some volatility with him like there is with most non-elite relievers, but his recent track record has been mostly good. He was outstanding in 2021 with his 1.83 ERA, very good in 2022 with a 2.83 mark, but 2023 left something to be desired as he posted a 4.73 ERA.

All of that said, Chafin would not break the bank and would be an improvement over the hodge-podge group of lefty relievers the Angels currently employ.

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