Angels release former All-Star pitcher after his longshot comeback bid falls short

While much of the press surrounding the Los Angeles Angels' spring training (and every team's camp really) generally focuses on the guys on the big league roster who have a realistic shot of making the team, there are a lot of guys who come into camp that are basically lottery tickets. Are the odds ever good that they will make the team? No, but these sorts of non-roster invitees do occasionally make it to the big leagues after flaming out elsewhere, getting hurt previously or even playing overseas.

It is this group of hopefuls with slim odds where Drew Pomeranz found himself in spring training this year. Pomeranz was putting a nice little run together in the big leagues from 2014-2020, even as he transitioned into being a bullpen arm over time. Unfortunately, multiple surgeries related to a flexor tendon injury in his throwing arm kept him from making a single big league appearance between 2021 and the present.

After experiencing a setback last season with the Padres that kept him from taking the mound yet again, Pomeranz found himself at a crossroads in his career and he inked a minor-league deal with the Angels to try and salvage it. After he posted a 5.63 ERA in nine appearances this spring, the Angels saw enough and decided to release him.

Angels News: LA releases Drew Pomeranz, putting his future in question

Given the state of the Angels' pitching staff, Pomeranz could have found a way to make the team if he had shown much at all this spring. However, he was facing long odds after multiple arm injuries that he struggled to come back from. Releasing Pomeranz now allows him to try and catch on with another club on a minor-league deal before the start of the season, and hopefully he gets an opportunity.

It wouldn't be shocking, though, if this was the end of the road for Pomeranz. Sure, he could probably find a way to latch on with a crummy team on a minor-league deal to start this season, but it is clear that all of the injuries have taken a toll on him, and there is little guarantee that he will ever be able to contribute in the big leagues again.

Could he somehow find his way back to the big leagues again? Sure, but it is a longshot, and it definitely isn't going to be with the Angels now.

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