Former Angels Reliever Traded Away From World Series Champions

May 5, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Ryan Brasier (62) pitches in the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers needed to make room in the bullpen for All-Star reliever Kirby Yates and in a surprising move they designated a former Los Angeles Angels reliever for assignment.

Days later, the Dodgers found a trade partner in the Chicago Cubs.

“I’m super excited to get to play in Wrigley and have it my home field,” Brasier said. “And with the additions that they made this offseason, I’m excited to get going.”

Brasier has battled injuries over the past couple of seasons and is hoping to find the 2023 version of himself. The right-hander feels most like himself when all three pitches working.

The Dodgers added a cutter to his arsenal in 2023 to compliment his fastball but he struggled with the third pitch last season.

“Everyone loves going to Wrigley … every time I go, I look forward to going.”

Ryan Brasier is excited to play at Wrigley Field 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/uFvYzgQlDE

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) February 5, 2025

“Just adding the third pitch where they go up there and they can kind of eliminate certain stuff and certain counts, and the cutter was a pitch that I would use to get back in counts,” Brasier said. “I threw it a lot when I first got there because it was working so good.”

Brasier’s cutter lost its effectiveness in 2024. After posting a 16.4 percent whiff rate and a 23.5 percent put-away rate in 2023, the pitch saw a sharp decline, with just 3.7 percent whiffs and a 0.0 percent put-away rate in 2024. The expected results against the pitch also worsened significantly.

This offseason, Brasier has focused on refining his cutter and trying to regain the success it had in 2023. He has worked on the pitch during four to five bullpen sessions.

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A right calf strain sidelined Brasier for 3.5 months during the 2024 season. He made his return in mid-August, finishing the regular season strong with a 2.76 ERA in 17 appearances over the last six weeks.

Overall last season, Brasier posted a 1-0 record with a 3.54 ERA (11 ER/28.0 IP) in 29 games (four starts) with the Dodgers, keeping opponents scoreless in 22 of those appearances.

Brasier also appeared in eight postseason games, including two in the World Series, helping secure his second career title (the first being with the 2018 Boston Red Sox).

Brasier has a career record of 10-8 with a 3.85 ERA (122 ER/285.1 IP) and 10 saves across 297 MLB games (five starts) with the Los Angeles Angels (2013), Boston Red Sox (2018-23), and Dodgers (2023-24).

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