Angels Free Agent Pitcher Signs With AL West Rival

For the first time since he was released by the Angels in May, Carl Edwards Jr. is back in affiliated baseball.

Now, the journeyman reliever has a chance to cross another team off his American League West bingo card.

More news: Former Angels Pitcher Set to Join Record 14th MLB Team

Edwards, 33, signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers on Tuesday and was assigned to Triple-A Round Rock. He had spent the better part of two and a half months with the Tigres de Quintana Roo on the Mexican League.

The Rangers have signed RHP Carl Edwards Jr. to a Minor League contract. He’s been assigned to Triple-A Round Rock.
— kennedi landry (@kennlandry) July 22, 2025

Now, Edwards will look to get back to the majors after an abrupt ending to his time in Anaheim. He saw action in only two games, April 23 against the Pirates at home and two days later in Minnesota. Edwards completed three innings, and allowed three runs on four hits and one walk.

The Angels signed Edwards, 33, to a minor league contract in March. In seven games with Triple-A Salt Lake, he posted a 1.54 ERA (11.2 IP, two earned runs) and 13 strikeouts in seven games.

More news: Jo Adell Identifies Encouraging Trait Separating 2025 Angels From Years Past

Edwards was given an opportunity to start in Mexico, and he went 5-2 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.232 WHIP in 14 games. Edwards was released by Quintana Roo on Monday in order to pursue his hopeful path back to the big leagues.

Originally a 48th-round draft pick by the Texas Rangers out of high school in 2011, Edwards debuted with the Chicago Cubs in September 2015 and made eight appearances out of the bullpen during the Cubs' historic run to a World Series championship the following year.

More news: Former Angels Pitcher Announces Sudden Retirement, Ending Comeback Attempt

Edwards was traded to the Padres in July 2019. His career since then has been a series of twists and turns, taking him to the Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox and Washington Nationals — with detours back to the Cubs' and Padres' systems in 2024.

Over his 11-year career, Edwards is 16-14 with a 3.59 ERA in 298 games. He has never started a big league game, and that seems unlikely to change in Texas.

More news: Ex-Angels Outfielder Hasn't Watched Baseball Since He Retired For Unusual Reason

The Rangers, like the Angels, are in the thick of the American League Wild Card hunt. Texas is 2.5 games out of the third and final AL postseason berth, the Angels 4.

Unlike the Angels, pitching hasn't been the Rangers' problem. Their starters are 38-26 with a 3.19 ERA, the lowest in baseball. Veteran Nathan Eovaldi has a back injury but is expected to avoid the IL. Rangers relievers are 13-24 with a 3.30 ERA (fourth in MLB), suggesting slight room for improvement.

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.