Angels quietly sign forgotten Tigers draft pick to help struggling bullpen

There's no two ways around it: The Los Angeles Angels' bullpen stinks. That unit ranks 29th in the league in ERA (5.32), 28th in FIP (5.01), and 28th in fWAR (-0.7). Yes, you read that right. The Halos' relief corps, as a whole, has been worse than a replacement-level reliever.

When you're that bad, all you can really do is throw as much at the wall as you can to see what sticks. Hence the team's latest addition of Alex Faedo, a 2017 first-round pick, on a minor-league deal.

Given his pedigree and MLB experience -- he's logged over 175 innings across three major-league seasons with the Detroit Tigers -- Faedo is expected to join Triple-A Salt Lake this week. If he impresses with the Bees, a chance to appear at the MLB level again shouldn't be too far off. It's not like anyone is blocking him in the Angels' bullpen anyway.

Alex Faedo is a low-risk, medium-reward candidate for Angels' woeful relief corps

Faedo is part of a mini pitching staff rebuild in May, joining Phillies flameout Taijuan Walker and two-time WBC participant Rob Kaminsky in the Angels' farm system. Unlike Walker (a full-time starter) and Kaminsky (a converted reliever), Faedo doesn't have a firm role; he's started in 30 of his 64 MLB outings, though the Tigers did push him into relief more in his final season with the team.

That versatility could serve the Halos well. Despite their poor efforts thus far, the members of the bullpen have already combined to toss 203 innings this year, which ranks 16th in the league. It's not necessarily an overworked group, but it is one that's had to try and compensate for a rotation that is overly reliant on José Soriano and Reid Detmers.

Faedo won't dazzle anyone, but he's got a respectable 4.51 career ERA. He's also been responsible for some huge whiff rates (31.1% in 2024) and has a long history of limiting hard contact. By run value, his slider was actually one of the best breaking balls in baseball during his last healthy season.

Before anyone gets too excited, there's a reason he was available for such meager compensation. He dealt with shoulder injuries in 2025 and has a history of giving up far too many home runs. At 30 years old, his best may be behind him.

Then again, the Angels are desperate. Save for breakout star Sam Bachman, no one in Kurt Suzuki's bullpen has been reliable enough to trust in tight spots. Faedo hasn't yet pitched in 2026, so he'll need to prove he's right before he gets a chance to prove himself. But if there's any team out there that would benefit from trying to capture lightning in a bottle, it's the Angels.

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