Angels ink intriguing fireballer to minor league deal

The Los Angeles Angels have struggled to find any sort of depth, particularly in the bullpen. The Angels consistently have one of the worst relief corps in all of baseball, and their lack of depth is a big reason why.

This past season they had a couple of arms they could rely on like Carlos Estevez and Matt Moore but the rest of the 'pen was tough for Phil Nevin to navigate. Adding as many arms to MLB and minor league deals as they can is crucial, and Tayron Guerrero is an example of the latter.

The Angels signed the 32-year-old to a minor league deal. They hope to build a good enough bullpen to not have to use him, but also hope that he can be a good enough depth arm in case they do wind up needing him, much like Chris Devenski and Jacob Webb were for brief periods.

LA Angels sign hard-throwing reliever to minor league deal

Looking first glance at this right-hander, his stats are unimpressive to say the least. Guerrero was used often out of the Marlins bullpen in both 2018 and 2019, but has a 5.77 MLB ERA in 113 appearances. He was plagued in a big way by command issues, as his 13.6% career walk rate is completely unsustainable.

Guerrero hasn't pitched in the majors since 2019, making stops in other minor league systems, Japan, Independent Ball, and the Mexican League since. When he pitched this past season in the Reds minor league system it did not go well, but he pitched much better after arriving at the Mexican League.

Tayron Guerrero got some time with the Padres and Marlins where 37% of his fastballs were 99+ and is one of a handful of guys to punch 104 multiple times, flame-thrower isn't much of a strike-thrower and has been floating around Japan, Mexico, and high minors since 2020 https://t.co/uIUKlRJTlH
— Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) December 18, 2023

The reason Guerrero continues to get chances is because of his fastball. He hits triple digits consistently, and has thrown as hard as 104 mph in his MLB career. That kind of velocity is obviously rare, and if they can harness his control, they'd have something here.

Yes, plenty of teams have tried and failed, but this is a minor league deal. If he doesn't pitch well, it doesn't hurt them or cost them anything. The team can cut bait and go on to the next one. Chances are, this investment will not pay off, and that's fine. On the off chance that it does, that'd be quite the add for the Halos.

LA Angels sign hard-throwing reliever to minor league deal

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