Feb. 14: The Angels announced their minor league deal with Pomeranz this morning. He’s in camp as a non-roster invitee.
Feb. 13: The Angels are nearing a minor league deal with left-hander Drew Pomeranz, reports Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. The southpaw would be invited to major league camp if the deal becomes official.
Pomeranz, 35, spent many years as a quality starting pitcher in the major leagues. As his results started fading, he transitioned to the bullpen and seemed to be sliding into a nice second act as an elite reliever. But he has lost the past two seasons due to injuries and it’s unknown how much he can provide going forward.
In both 2016 and 2017, he tossed over 170 innings with matching ERAs of 3.32 in those seasons. But he got lit up in 2018, with his ERA finishing at 6.08 just as he was about to hit the open market for the first time. He settled for a modest one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Giants and had a 5.68 ERA as he was flipped to the Brewers at the 2019 deadline.
Milwaukee moved him to the bullpen which seemed to be a revelation for the lefty. He tossed 26 1/3 innings after the deal with a 2.39 ERA. He struck out an incredible 45% of batters faced while walking just 8% and kept 46.8% of balls in play on the ground.
The Padres believed in that mini breakout enough to give Pomeranz a four-year, $34MM guarantee going into 2020. That gamble seemed to be paying off for a while, as Pomeranz made 20 relief appearances in 2020 with a 1.45 ERA and another 27 in 2021 with a 1.75 ERA. He struck out 33.7% of batters faced over those two years and had a 45.8% ground ball rate. The 11.4% walk rate was on the high side but he was nonetheless one of the most dominant relievers in the league for a time.
But in August of 2021, he underwent surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon and hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since. At various times throughout 2022 and 2023, there were reports of him ramping up throwing, but each time saw him deal with some renewed soreness or inflammation that stopped his progression. He underwent “a cleanup surgery in his elbow” in May of last year and went out on a rehab assignment in August and September before being shut down again.
It’s hard to expect much after a couple of years completely lost to arm complications, but there’s no real risk for the Angels. They aren’t guaranteeing him a roster spot so they can bring him into camp and see how he looks. If he’s healthy and in good form, it’s a nice find, with no real downside if it doesn’t pan out.
The Halos have been very focused on their bullpen this offseason, signing Robert Stephenson, Matt Moore, Luis García, Adam Cimber and José Cisnero to major league deals. Pomeranz will come in as a non-roster wild card who could provide them with another boost if his arm allows.
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