Angels Right-Handed Pitcher Elects Free Agency

Angels manager Ron Washington (37) congratulates relief pitcher Shaun Anderson (64) after a win against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on May 18. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Look up the definition of the word "journeyman" in a baseball dictionary, and Shaun Anderson's name is likely to appear.

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Anderson, 31, has pitched for seven teams since 2020. At a glance, it's easy to see why he has never been hard-pressed to find work.

Blessed with a 6-foot-6 frame, the right-hander throws five different pitches. He was a third-round draft pick by the Boston Red Sox in 2016. He was traded to the San Francisco Giants as a minor leaguer and, by 2019, was the number-4 prospect in the organization — ranked ahead of future All-Stars Logan Webb and Camilo Doval by MLB Pipeline.

For a decade, nearly one-third of the league has been trying to harness Anderson's potential as a pitcher. The latest: the Angels, who let Anderson toe the rubber for seven games in 2025.

Anderson posted a 10.32 ERA, allowing 20 hits and 13 runs (all earned) in 11.1 innings. He also walked three batters and struck out 11. The Angels designated Anderson for assignment in August, and outrighted him to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Anderson remained in the organization on a minor league contract, but he never appeared in the majors after recording two outs against the Dodgers on Aug. 11. He allowed four runs in the eighth inning of that game, including home runs to Max Muncy and Shohei Ohtani.

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Thursday, Anderson elected free agency for the fourth time this year. Although Anderson's journey has led him back to the Angels organization each of the last three times, he'll now have an entire offseason to potentially find a new home for 2026.

Surface stats aside, Anderson can take some things he learned with the Angels into the next step of his career.

In spring training, Anderson added a new pitch (a hybrid splitter/kick-changeup) that he developed based on advice from other Angels pitchers. Anderson spoke with Jack Janes of The Sporting Tribune regarding the new pitch and what he hoped to accomplish with its addition.

“I have a bunch of pitches and I love the shapes on them, but having the guys here that we have, it's really been kind of eye-opening having (Kyle) Hendricks here and Kenley Jansen and Tyler Anderson,” he said. “These guys all pitch with their stuff, so I’m picking their brains about it and really just simplifying and finding my zones to throw my pitches instead of overcomplicating it."

Anderson also gave the Angels a small place in baseball history. When he made his regular-season debut in May, he became the fourth Angels player with the last name "Anderson" to play for the team in 2025 (joining Ian, Tim, and Tyler).

The last time a team had four-plus players with the same last name was the 1994 Baltimore Orioles with Mark, Lonnie, Lee, and Dwight Smith.