Angels Castoff Pitcher Making Halos Regret Giving Up on Him

New York Mets starting pitcher Griffin Canning ended 2024 with the Los Angeles Angels leading the American League in earned runs allowed with double-digit losses, but is now posting an ERA below 3.00 for the first time in his career on a division leading team.

So what happened?

“[He's] much different,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, comparing Canning to last season after he threw six shutout innings against L.A. on Wednesday. “Obviously, he’s healthy. The stuff is playing up. The velocity is up. There’s a cutter, the slider is good, there’s a changeup. He’s a much better pitcher, with more weapons than he’s had in the past.”

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The Angels traded Canning to the Atlanta Braves in the offseason to land Jorge Soler, but the Braves quickly DFA'd the right-hander. The Mets snapped him up on a one-year deal, and it has paid dividends for them in 2025.

The 29-year-old's ground ball percentage has risen nearly 10% from last season, and now sits in the 86th percentile in MLB . His 51.8% mark is at least 8% higher than in any of his past seasons. He's now striking out players 5% more than he did last year, and is generating more whiff with less chase, meaning he's pitching much more productively.

“He’s got the ability to read the situation and to read what lineups and hitters are trying to do to him,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “When he knows that they are sitting on his breaking pitches, he’s going to use the fastball. And when they are attacking his fastball, he’s going to use the other weapons. That’s the biggest thing for me.”

Canning has a 6-2 record through 12 starts this season, and has allowed the lowest home runs per nine innings in his career so far. He also has the lowest opposing batting average he's ever had at .232.

“He’s been stellar,” said third baseman Mark Vientos “He’s been looking good. Happy we’ve got him on our team.”

The Angels drafted Canning with the 47th overall pick in 2017, and he made his debut with the Halos in 2019. He played five seasons with the Angels from 2019-24 — missing 2022 with injury — and posted a career 4.78 ERA in Los Angeles.

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The Angels are without Canning this season and are the only team left in the majors to use just five starters since Opening Day. They have the third-worst ERA in the American League among starters, and the worst strikeouts per nine innings mark in the AL.

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