Angels Roster News: LA Brings Back Two Relievers on Minor League Deals
It's been a busy week at the MLB Winter Meetings. The biggest Angels news came on Monday, when they added RHP Carlos Estevez to strengthen the bullpen. However, it's far from the only bullpen-centric move the team has made this offseason.
Earlier in the offseason, the team added RHPs Jonathan Holder and Chris Devenski (here's a cool story on him) on minor league deals, hoping at least one of them would compete for a spot in the bullpen come Opening Day.
Then, the Angels made two more similar moves. Enrique Rojas of ESPN tweeted that they brought back RHP Cesar Valdez on a minor-league deal. His tweet was in Spanish, but here's the translation to English.
"Dominican @CesarMValdez signed a minor league contract with an invitation to training with #Angels . $950 thousand salary in MLB. No restriction to continue shooting in the winter league."
Additionally, the team brought back RHP Nash Walters on a minor-league deal, per the transaction log.
In 23 starts last season in Triple-A, Valdez went 10-5 with a 3.94 ERA and struck out 123 batters. Walters, across three teams in Double-A and Triple-A, went 6-4 with a 4.70 ERA in 51 appearances out of the pen.
Between the four minor league deals, the Angels are hoping one of them can contribute come next season. These are low-risk, calculated moves by the Angels front office.
