Red Sox sign former Angels starter who went down with Tommy John surgery in 2024

San Diego Padres v Los Angeles Angels
San Diego Padres v Los Angeles Angels | Brandon Sloter/GettyImages

It's always difficult for a player to bid farewell to the only franchise he ever suited up for. Whether that player is an All-Star or a lovable fan favorite, these are the ones who will be missed most. Now, Patrick Sandoval...and Angels fans...will have to face this goodbye.

For the first time in his Major League Baseball career, left-handed starter Patrick Sandoval will not be wearing an Angels uniform. He went down with Tommy John surgery in the middle of the 2024 season, but still managed to sign a multi-year deal with the Boston Red Sox per ESPN's Jeff Passan. Sandoval is the fourth southpaw pitcher the Red Sox have acquired this offseason, joining Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Crochet, and Justin Wilson.

Sandoval, who's 28-years-old, spent all six of his big league seasons with Los Angeles. He unfortunately didn't go out in style, amassing a 5.08 ERA in 16 starts this past summer before getting surgery on his elbow. His WHIP in each of his last two campaigns were over 1.500 as a continual struggle following a full-time breakout 2022 season that had Angels fans excited for their next star pitcher, though it did not pan out.

Whenever Sandoval returns to action, the Red Sox are hopeful he can still be a high-strikeout starter. His career K/9 is 8.9 through 536 innings. He fanned 81 hitters in 79 2/3 innings last year (9.2 K/9), which was second-highest among Los Angeles starters, trailing only Reid Detmers (11.2). While it's never a guarantee that a pitcher returns to their best form post-Tommy John, this deal is a low-risk signing for Boston.

Sandoval joins Griffin Canning and Ryan Miller as Angels pitchers to recently depart from the OC as the Angels look to retool for 2025. They have added several veterans in Jorge Soler, Yusei Kikuchi, Travis d'Arnaud, and Dakota Hudson as part of a somewhat busy winter for Perry Minasian and his front office staff.

While it may be an emotional departure for Patrick Sandoval, it needed to be done. Los Angeles is making the effort to overturn this roster, and hanging on to a struggling and recovering starting pitcher does not make much sense. We wish him well on the East Coast.

More LA Angels News from Halo Hangout

Schedule