Shocking fact about Raisel Iglesias' free agency shows how loyal he is to LA Angels

Raisel Iglesias was brought back by the LA Angels this offseason on a four-year/$58 million deal. It was a lot of money, but undoubtedly necessary to pay and worth it. Iglesias, who had 34 saves in 2021, has become one of the best of the best closers in baseball.

Iglesias recently revealed that it wasn't so easy to bring him back, however. There was quite a bit of competition for Iglesias:

I can't blame the approximately 20 teams that were in on Iglesias. The elite closer recorded a 2.57 ERA last year to go along with a 174 ERA+. He posted a 0.929 WHIP and 13.2 K/9 rate (career-high). The fact that he was this highly touted was deserved for Iglesias, and the fact that he stayed speaks to what the Angels are building for 2022.

Raisel Iglesias made sure to prioritize the LA Angels in free agency.

Raisel Iglesias recently told ESPN that he was heavy on returning to the LA Angels:

"I always told my agent that the Angels had the first priority," said Iglesias through an interpreter. "There's a lot of chemistry with this team."

It's good to hear that Iglesias is feeling the culture that LA has going right now. Besides, who wouldn't want to live in the LA/OC area while playing with the two best players on the planet? And now that Iglesias is staying, it will help draw even more interest from other players who will want to play with a closer as good as the Halos'.

Iglesias walked a career-low 1.5 batters per nine innings last year, making a SO/BB ratio of a career-high 8.58. His command is about as strong as it gets in this league, and he has developed one of the best fastballs in the game. He wanted the Angels, and the feeling was most definitely mutual.