The Angels announced they’ve designated reliever Jake Petricka for assignment. The move creates active roster space for Alex Cobb, who has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list to start this afternoon’s game against the White Sox. As Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register notes, the move opens a spot on the 40-man roster for reliever José Marte, who is expected to be activated from the COVID-19 injured list tomorrow.
Los Angeles selected Petricka in late August, setting the right-hander up for his first MLB action in two years. Petricka earned that promotion by tossing 31 2/3 frames of 3.69 ERA ball with quality peripherals in Triple-A. He’s been bombed in his seven big league appearances, though, allowing ten runs on six hits and seven walks in six innings. The Angels will place Petricka on waivers in the coming days, and the veteran would have the right to elect free agency if he passes through unclaimed.
Cobb has missed nearly six weeks with wrist inflammation. That was his second IL stint of the year, as the 33-year-old also missed a little more than the minimum ten days in May because of a blister. Acquired from the Orioles over the winter, Cobb has been limited to fifteen starts and 77 2/3 innings.
To his credit, Cobb has been effective when healthy enough to take the ball. After struggling through a few below-average seasons in Baltimore, he’s turned things around to post a 3.82 ERA with Los Angeles. Cobb has significantly improved his strikeout and swinging strike rates in the process, vaulting from one of the league’s lowest whiff rates to above-average marks.
Cobb hasn’t seen a huge change in his raw stuff, with his pitch velocities and movements right in line with prior seasons. Instead, he’s been more adept this season at locating pitches just off the edges and avoiding the heart of the strike zone. He’s also been more willing than he was last year to lean on his splitter after falling behind batters, preventing opponents from zeroing in and teeing off on his sinker in hitters’ counts.
The Angels have long since fallen out of contention, but the next few starts will be meaningful for Cobb personally. He’s in the final season of the four-year deal he signed with the O’s over the 2017-18 offseason and will hit free agency this winter. Coming off a six-week absence due to an arm injury, demonstrating that he’s back at his early-season form could be crucial in setting his market value for potential suitors.
Goodnight sweet prince.
He’s already on a bus to San Diego
The way he pitched, he should be under it.
As a Padres fan, I laughed, and I suspect they are at least discussing him
Sucks for the guys on Oakland. Somebody was guaranteed to hit a bomb off him this weekend.
we need more guys like him to lose every remaining game. so that they are positioned to draft a true ace material.
Never sign Cobb
Trade Mike Trout & Ohtani for MLB ready top pitching prospects.
#MakeAngelsGreatAgain
trade arte first!
I agree, he spends money on washed up position players and is scared to spend on pitchers.
What a joke.
This bullpen fiasco this year was not Moreno’s fault.
Hopefully Perry bought a vowel. The signings of Claudio and Guerra were beyond stupid. You can’t lock in very back end of the bullpen RPs that early. I hope everyone can see that now. But most of all Perry should have known that before he got a GM job.
Bullpen Fiasco?
You meaning pitching fiasco as well.
The Angels made a right move tho by looking towards next year and testing the young pitchers.
Perry has the balls to trade or release Upton as well.
Imagine an outfield of Marsh, Trout and Adell.
The rotation needs a number 1 pitcher and another solid #3 or 4 pitcher.
arte hired him. maybe because he wasn’t going to spend money on pitching.
I still blame Moreno for our pitching issues. Historically, he has rarely spent on the right pitching. He has pretended to be “in” on FA pitchers but loses out and ends up overpaying for a position player instead. Minasian was credited with building a bull pen in Atlanta so I believe he can do the same here if Moreno will get out of the way.
Lots of fiascos, but the bullpen fiasco was preventable with very little effort.
You can blame Moreno for our starting pitching issues, not our bullpen issues.
I actually am very optimistic regarding most of this team. Except for the bullpen, which is the easiest weakness to address, I believe most of the pieces are in place.
The fact of the matter is signing Claudio and leaving a spot open for Guerra was very stupid. I don’t know how everyone doesn’t see this.
I see it.
Also Jose Quintana was a Joe Blanton like failure.
His 9 auto losses contributed massively to being 13.5 games behind 1st place, along with the errors from Jose Iglesias.
With more consistent reliable pitchers we should do good next year.
Not to mention the Halos have being in the top 10 teams for batting avg.
I think everyone, including the Angels, sees it now. That’s why Claudio is gone. This winter will be revealing. The only common denominator has been Moreno through several GMs and years of pitching issues.
Trade the two best players in baseball for prospects— is that you Mr. DiPoto?
I was waiting for this since his first game with us…for some reason Joe kept putting him out there. Good luck on the next team Jake
Petricka was a bust. Glad to see Perry willing to pull the plug on guys who are not working out.
No one has mentioned coaching when it comes to the folks we put out there. I’m always wondering how other teams can just turn failing pitchers into solid sometimes stellar, pieces of the staff. We seem to help those failing pitchers get worse! (Some exceptions)
Anyway I see the staff next year like this:
1. Big name free agent
2. Obtain
3. Cobb
4. Rodriguez, Chris
5. Suarez ( or) Junk
6. Detweiler
And we need to resign R Iglasies
And bring in Jeff Mathis as a coach.
I’m trying to wrap my head around this rotation you’ve got here. I need to know who this Obtain fella is, and is there another one in the pipeline named Detweiler?
I do not believe the Angels feel compelled to build a pitching staff via free agency this off-season. They will add an arm or two, but it appears to me that the Angels are content with the young, cost controlled pitchers that are working their way through the minor league system.
The Angels have aggressively drafted pitchers for five years. Many have now arrived – Sandoval, Suarez, Rodriguez, Detmers, Marte, Ortega and Warren. Several more, like Bachman, are near major league ready.
The cost controlled pitching staff will act to balance an otherwise top heavy salary structure. Further, it will prevent the Angels from paying a luxury tax which Arte is loath to do. Most importantly, its recognition by the Angels that drafting and developing pitchers is a far better business model than signing free agents.
They need a true #1. I think you’ll see them back up the truck for two years of Scherzer. They could use a durable #2 as well, and they will definitely add bullpen arms in free agency– they have to.
carllafong, I think most people on this site would agree with you. I’m just not convinced the Angels are thinking the same way.
Scherzer would look awfully good in red provided its a one or two year contract as you note. Despite his age, I fear it will take three years to nail him down and the Dodgers have the inside track.
Regarding the RP, I would like to see Iglesias back provided the contract is reasonable. As a starting point, I’m guessing the Angels are thinking Iglesias and Mayers at the backend with Warren, Ortega, Marte and Bachman among others. Under that scenario, Mayers needs to step up or one of the young guys needs to explode onto the scene.