Angels, Parker Bridwell Agree To Minor League Deal

The Angels have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Parker Bridwell, according to multiple reports (including Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, on Twitter). It’ll be his third stint with the Halos organization. Presumably, he’ll eventually find his way to Triple-A Salt Lake, though he could also get his feet wet in extended Spring Training or with a lower-level affiliate early on. He’d been with the Athletics in Spring Training but was released a few days into the season after failing to break camp with the A’s.

Bridwell, 27, had an awful 2018 season but was a key member of the Halos’ pitching staff as recently as 2017. That year, he pitched to a 3.64 ERA in 121 innings (20 starts, one relief appearance). Bridwell’s meager 5.4 K/9 mark and sky-high strand rate pointed to some regression, though certainly not to the extent that he struggled last year (13 runs in 6 2/3 MLB frames; 27 runs in 28 Triple-A innings).

The Angels know they’ll be without Andrew Heaney for at least another month, and they opened the year with Nick Tropeano (shoulder) and J.C. Ramirez (recovering from 2018 Tommy John surgery) on the injured list as well. Beyond that, they will of course be without Shohei Ohtani’s presence in the rotation for the entire 2019 season. Injury issues have utterly decimated the Angels’ pitching staff for the past few seasons, so adding a familiar face who’s had success in the upper minors and at the MLB level is a logical move.