Angels' 2025 rotation piece gets bounce back chance with Guardians

The Angels are going to have to fill their bullpen out at some point, and while they added a promising arm to start the offseason there will be more moves to be made. The team will likely have to take a quantity over quality approach to the bullpen, even with the potential savings made with any Anthony Rendon buyout. The team has far bigger needs, and the bullpen will likely be made up of cheaper contracts and Kenley Jansen.

Connor Brogdon was by no means the Angels' top reliever in 2025. He made his way back from dealing with plantar fasciitis he dealt with in 2024, and earned a big league spot with the Halos last Spring Training. He would go on to post a 5.55 ERA for the Angels in 2025 while spending time with the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees as well, and found himself hitting free agency likely hoping for a minor league contract somewhere including an invite to Spring Training.

However, the Cleveland Guardians may have found something with Brogdon, enough to offer him a big league contract earlier this week.

Guardians sign former Angels' reliever Connor Brogdon

The biggest attribute working for Connor Brogdon is his extension. His extension from the mound ranks in the 92nd percentile according to Baseball Savant, meaning when the ball leaves his hand it is far closer to home than the usual pitcher. This obviously reduces the batter's reaction time and in theory should lead to more effectiveness. The Guardians are a team that strongly believes in the importance of extension, making Brogdon a natural fit despite his poor numbers so far in his career.

However, relief pitchers are the most volatile position in baseball. Elite relievers can suddenly post seasons with ERA's north of 4.00, and unknowns can find the right spot and suddenly turn into 20-save players. Brogdon has shown very little potential for that in his career thus far, but Cleveland has earned a reputation for getting the absolute most out of their players. And with two of their top relievers from 2025 likely to be banned from baseball due to their involvement in a betting scandal, Brogdon will get his opportunity to turn his career around.

Perry Minasian has earned the trust of his fan base when it comes to relief pitching - he has made multiple great trades with relievers when both buying or selling - so losing Brogdon likely is not on the minds of Angels' fans. However, the Guardians have a similar reputation, and Brogdon fits their archetype exceptionally.