Tayler Saucedo has a path to helping Angels despite history of free passes

The Los Angeles Angels have done a fine job overhauling their pitching staff this winter, trading for Grayson Rodriguez while signing starter Alex Manoah and relievers Drew Pomeranz, Kirby Yates, and Jordan Romano to one-year contracts in free agency.

With Robert Stephenson (2.70 ERA) and Brock Burke (3.36 ERA) both coming off strong seasons in varying sample sizes, there's a core to build around in the late innings, especially thanks to the closing experience Yates and Romano have. However, that still leaves three spots in Kurt Suzuki's bullpen wide open, and it'd be nice if the team could add a third southpaw to take some of the load off Pomeranz's and Burke's plate.

Thus, the team inked longtime Seattle Mariners reliever Tayler Saucedo to a deal, which is believed to be of the minor-league variety with an invite to spring training attached. Though he's got some glaring red flags in his profile, Saucedo could be an under-the-radar threat in the middle innings if he can crack the Halos' Opening Day roster.

Angels sign former Mariners reliever Tayler Saucedo, who dominates left-handed batters

Saucedo had been with the Mariners from 2023-25, emerging as a key figure in their bullpen in the first two of those campaigns. The now-32-year-old lefty pitched to a a 3.54 ERA in 86 1/3 innings in that time, working around a problematic walk rate (11.0%) by generating a ton of groundballs. Unfortunately, the jig was up last year, as his WHIP ballooned to 1.88 and he recorded an unsightly 7.43 ERA. Thus, the Mariners non-tendered Saucedo in November, and he's since made his way to the Angels.

There's a lot of work that needs to be done to return the veteran reliever to his previously effective form, but he's got all the makings of a leverage reliever... if he can start to differentiate more between his pedestrian strikeout (18.2% rate in 2025) and ugly walk numbers (9.1% rate).

For one, Saucedo is elite at generating grounders, and his 57.4% rate would have ranked in the 98th percentile league-wide last season had he pitched enough innings to qualify for the leaderboards. With a sinker and changeup that dominate his pitch mix and utilize a ton of arm-side run, that's a skill that should prove repeatable.

More importantly, though, is his work against left-handed batters. For his career, Saucedo has surrendered a .265 wOBA to lefties, compared to a .355 wOBA against righties. That's a stark difference, and one that suggests that, in the right scenario (i.e., a LOOGY role), he can be an effective option out of the bullpen.

Even with his longstanding walk troubles, Saucedo has held same-sided batters to a .209/.285/.301 throughout his career. In a bullpen with as many moving parts as the Angels', it's safe to say there's a path for the AL West veteran to become a key contributor in 2026.