Halos Today

Veteran Cut By Angels Signs in Mexican League

J.P. Hoornstra|
Cubs pitching prospect Carl Edwards Jr., left, and Reds pitching prospect Amir Garrett, catch fly balls during workouts ahead of the MLB- Futures Game, Sunday, July 12, 2015, at Great American Ball Park.
Cubs pitching prospect Carl Edwards Jr., left, and Reds pitching prospect Amir Garrett, catch fly balls during workouts ahead of the MLB- Futures Game, Sunday, July 12, 2015, at Great American Ball Park. | Kareem Elgazzar via Imagn Content Services, LLC

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Los Angeles Angels

Carl Edwards Jr. chose to become a free agent last week after rejecting his outright assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Edwards, 33, allowed three runs in three innings with the Angels, prompting the outright. He apparently didn't find any takers among major league organizations.

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As of Tuesday, the right-hander has rejoined the Tigres de Quintana Roo, the team that employed him until he signed a minor league contract with the Angels on March 21. He's already appeared in one game, completed two innings, and given up five runs.

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.

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 Mariners, Braves, Blue Jays, White Sox and Nationals — with detours back to the Cubs' and Padres' systems in 2024.

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In seven games at Salt Lake, Edwards had allowed 14 hits and six runs (two earned) in 11.2 innings while walking three and striking out 13.

Edwards' results with the Angels were hardly much better. 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.

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In each case, Edwards was mopping up at the end of a game the Angels would have lost anyway. His innings-eating effectively served its purpose.

Still, Edwards was part of a problem that has plagued the Angels all season. Their relievers have an atrocious 7.15 ERA, the worst mark in the American League.

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While the Angels have managed to use the same five starting pitchers through the season's first 36 games, they have used a whopping 18 different relief pitchers, including position player Nicky Lopez. No AL team has used more.

If Anaheim is Edwards' last big-league stop, it will mark the end of an 11-year career that saw him go 16-14 with a 3.59 ERA in 298 games for seven teams.

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The Angels host the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.

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

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J.P. Hoornstra
J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra is an On SI Contributor. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers in California, J.P. covered MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels (occasionally of Anaheim) from 2012-23 for the Southern California News Group. His first book, The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time, published in 2015. In 2016, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for breaking news coverage. He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.

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