The Los Angeles Angels have acquired their second Iglesias in the past week.
On Monday morning, the virtual 2020 Winter Meetings opened for business. Five days after the Angels acquired shortstop Jose Iglesias from Baltimore, they struck another deal to acquire Cincinnati closer Raisel Iglesias in exchange for pitcher Noe Ramirez and future considerations. The latest move provides an experienced closer to an Angels bullpen that blew a league-high 14 games this past season.
Statistics
Iglesias finished the abbreviated 2020 season with eight saves and a 2.74 ERA across 22 games for the playoff-bound Reds. He has saved at least 28 or more games over the previous full MLB seasons, something that no Angels pitcher has done since Huston Street’s 40 saves in 2015. Iglesias will earn $9.215 million in the final year of his three-year extension before he is eligible for free agency. The move marks the Angels’ first addition of a Major League reliever since they non-tendered five arms last week.
According to Fangraphs, Iglesias posted an average fastball velocity of 96.5 mph last year. He threw the pitch 46.3 percent of the time. His heater was followed by an 84.8 mph slider and 89.1 mph changeup. The addition of Iglesias currently puts him in front of returning relievers Ty Buttrey, Mike Mayers, and Felix Pena. The Angels also agreed to terms with Jacob Faria on a minor league deal after the right-hander spent parts of 2019 in Tampa Bay and Milwaukee.
Offseason Approach
The Angels went into the winter with clear needs at catcher, shortstop, and pitching. Both recent acquisitions through trade are an indication that the Angels are looking beyond the free-agent market to improve the roster. The Angels are likely among the front-runners for starting pitcher Trevor Bauer but are keenly aware of the perils of placing too much focus on top options just one year removed from losing out on Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg. Potential trade candidates available this offseason include Colorado’s German Marquez, Detroit’s Matthew Boyd, and Texas right-hander Lance Lynn.
New general manager Perry Minasian has shown that he will be aggressive this winter. He has now acquired a starting shortstop and closer for less than $13 million next season. Providing tremendous flexibility as they search for filling additional areas of weakness to improve on the 2021 roster.
Looking ahead, the Angels may be willing to make long-term commitments to other free agents knowing that Albert Pujols‘s massive 10-year contract ends following next season. The Angels made a splash last Winter Meetings with the signing of top offensive free agent Anthony Rendon and baseball fans should be prepared for Arte Moreno and co. to make other big moves this offseason.
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