The LA Angels finally have an elite bullpen

The LA Angels have an elite bullpen.

Yes, you read that right, and no you are not dreaming. Following the recent spending spree by GM Perry Minasian, the Angels have gone from having a decent bullpen that lacked depth, to an absolute monster of a relief corp.

Prior to the end of the lockout, the Angels had a very top-heavy bullpen, with the likes of Raisel Iglesias and Aaron Loup being the only truly elite arms, while rookie Austin Warren (only 20.1 innings pitched) and Mike Mayers (good in low-to-mid leverage situations, bad in high-leverage) were the only other notable relievers.

Combined with the bad news that rookie sensation Chris Rodriguez would miss most, if not all of 2022, and that we wouldn’t be re-signing Steve Cishek, the Angels bullpen seemed primed for another rough season.

But just when things looked their worst, Perry came in clutch and answered all our prayers with a crazy six days of activity.

With these new additions, the LA Angels might just have the best bullpen in baseball.

First came the minor league deal to bring back AJ Ramos on March 11, followed by the official return of Ty Buttrey to the LA Angels family with his arrival to spring camp on March 13 (though he’s still ineligible for Cactus League games).  

Of course, these two were just an appetizer for the main event. On March 17, within two hours of each other, the Angels silenced all the naysayers by signing top free agent relievers Archie Bradley (one year, $3.75 million) and Ryan Tepera (two-years, $14 million).

With these four new additions, the Angels have suddenly found themselves with what is quite possibly the best bullpen in Major League Baseball.