The relief pitcher’s market is starting to heat up.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles Angels added a key piece to their bullpen.
The team and veteran relief pitcher Ryan Tepera agreed on a two-year, $14 million deal.
The Angels had already signed Noah Syndergaard to help strengthen their rotation and create a 1-2 punch with Shohei Ohtani.
They also grabbed Archie Bradley on a one-year deal to help strengthen their bullpen.
Now, Tepera heads out west.
The 34-year-old right hander posted a 2.79 ERA last season while splitting time between the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox, only walking 19 batters.
He boasts a career 3.48 ERA.
Ryan Tepera agrees to two-year, $14M deal with Angels, per @JonHeyman pic.twitter.com/l36OmwGlst
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) March 17, 2022
Bolstering The Bullpen
This is a solid move for the Angels.
For years, the one thing they have been lacking is pitching, while they’ve focused on adding bats to their lineup.
Now, the bullpen looks powerful, and the Halos appear ready to finally take the next step.
With the new additions, the Angels are looking like a darkhorse Wild Card contender, and they have a decent shot at grabbing a Wild Card spot, given that the postseason is now expanded to 12 teams with an additional Wild Card being added to each league.
They may not be ready yet to challenge the Houston Astros for AL West supremacy, but they look a lot better and finally look like they can contend for the postseason.
The Angels have not reached the postseason since 2014, when they were swept in the first round by the Kansas City Royals and haven’t won a playoff game since 2009.
They also have not had a winning season since 2015, when they finished 85-77 and fell short of the postseason by one game.
But they appear ready to contend in 2022.
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