The Angels have agreed to a one-year, $1MM deal with free agent righty Andrew Bailey, per a club announcement (with salary via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, on Twitter). The deal also includes incentives, which may be tied (at least in part) to the possibility that he could function as the team’s closer.
Outfielder Shane Robinson was designated for assignment to clear roster space, the team also announced. The 32-year-old seemed to be a fairly obvious non-tender candidate already after turning in 111 plate appearances of .173/.257/.235 hitting last year.
Bailey, 32, threw well down the stretch for the Halos, even racking up six saves over a dozen appearances late in the season. He ended with a 2.38 ERA in his limited duty in Los Angeles, with eight strikeouts against two walks.
Once the closer for the Athletics, Bailey was sent to the Red Sox in exchange for Josh Reddick before the 2012 season. While Boston thought it was getting a controllable, shutdown reliever, Bailey struggled to stay healthy and wound up contributing just 44 innings over two years. He ended up missing all of 2014 following shoulder surgery and joined the Yankees (where current Angels GM Billy Eppler then was employed) as a minor league free agent.
The 2016 season, then, was a notable one for Bailey, who topped forty major league innings for the first time since 2011. He certainly finished on a high note with the Angels, even returning to some 9th-inning duties for the first time since 2013. Of course, Bailey’s first 32 1/3 innings in 2016 (with the Phillies) weren’t quite as good: he posted a 6.40ERA with 9.2 K/9 against 4.2 BB/9 in that span.
In my opinion, this is the Angels best move of this short off season.
What about getting Maybin for relatively cheap?
Don’t even bother with this clown. He spews the same comments on every Angels post.
Agreed. The uncertainty of the rotation means the team needs a bullpen which can shorten games. That was the formula in the glory days of the 2000s, and it can work again.
Adding Bailey is a step in the right direction, and I’m assuming he is a reasonable price.
Definitely. I was impressed with his performance down the stretch. He looked back in form. 1 year deal is smart. Good addition and you can’t have enough quality arms as bullpen pieces can be inconsistent from season to season
What do you think the possibility is of the Angles bring in Darwin Barney to fill the hole at 2nd? I could be completely wrong but it just seems like a fit to me.
No they want someone who can hit
Barney showed he could hit last year maybe not for power but he made a lot of good contact
Hope this doesn’t mean they will now trade “Bedrock” and go with uncertains like Street and Bailey.
They should keep all three; we have seen what a strong back of the bullpen can do. Question is, do they have the starters that can get the game to the 7th inning?
And no Gold Glove for Simmons?!?! Wow. Lindor’s great but not Simmons.
Simmons has no bat.
Because a player needs a bat to play defense. Great Logic… And Simmons actually had a great offensive season. So not only do you need to get your logic straight but also your facts.