1 recent Angels roster addition who'll be better than expected

It's been an extremely quiet offseason for the Los Angeles Angels. You'd think they'd try and be ultra-aggressive after losing Shohei Ohtani to the Dodgers, but the Ohtani decision has had the opposite effect. The Angels have not signed a single player to a MLB deal since Ohtani posted his decision.

The offseason as a whole has moved incredibly slowly, and with several free agents still on the board it's not time to panic quite yet. Perry Minasian does still have plenty of time to make the necessary additions.

So far, the Angels have made three MLB signings. They've brought in only relievers, signed to cheap one-year deals. These relievers are all a bit older, coming off down years, with decent to good track records. While there's a good chance none of these arms will prove to be very impactful, one new addition sticks out from the rest as the guy who will be better than Angels fans expect. That reliever is Adam Cimber.

New Angels reliever Adam Cimber will be better than expected in 2024

Let's get this out of the way very quickly. Adam Cimber's 2023 season was a complete and utter disaster. The right-hander with a funky delivery posted a 7.40 ERA in 22 appearances and 20.2 innings of work for the Blue Jays. He had increased walk and home run rates while seeing his strikeouts take a turn in the wrong direction. There's no way of spinning this into anything good. There's a reason he got just $1.65 million from the Angels.

Cimber's 2023 season might've been a disaster, but it feels safe to call it an outlier considering his track record and the fact that he had two IL stints including a shoulder injury that cost him more than half the season on the sidelines. Prior to the 2023 disaster, Cimber had been quite reliable.

The submariner had posted back-to-back seasons of 70+ appearances and a sub-3.00 ERA. In 2022 he led the league with 77 appearances while posting a 2.80 ERA as a key reliever coming out of the Blue Jays bullpen. He has a 3.49 ERA in six MLB seasons, and that's including the miserable year.

Cimber doesn't strike out many, but when he's right he has impeccable command and keeps the ball on the ground. Joining a Ron Washington-led team should help, as long as he's healthy.

This is a bet on Cimber bouncing back to what he had always been. An effective reliever. For $1.65 million the Angels don't need him to be the sub-3.00 ERA pitcher who led the league in appearances. They need him to be a decent middle reliever who can give the Angels a clean sixth inning when called upon. There's every reason to believe that can be feasible if he can stay healthy.