The Angels have released right-hander Felix Pena, as indicated on the Triple-A transactions log at MiLB.com. The move concludes a four-year stint with the organization.
Pena was originally acquired out of the Cubs organization, coming over in an Oct. 2017 trade that sent cash back to Chicago. The now-31-year-old righty was a solid swingman for the Halos from 2018-20, pitching to a 4.34 ERA with a 23.6 percent strikeout rate and a strong 7.7 percent walk rate through 215 2/3 innings. He stepped up for numerous spot starts or short stints in the rotation as needed over that three-year run, making 24 total starts in addition to 42 relief appearances. Angels fans will undoubtedly remember Pena best for his seven innings of no-hit relief that closed out a combined no-hitter the day after teammate Tyler Skaggs’ untimely passing.
The 2021 season hasn’t gone particularly well for Pena either in the big leagues or in Triple-A Salt Lake. He started the year on the injured list due to a hamstring injury that cost five months, and he was clobbered for seven runs in 1 2/3 innings across his first two outings upon returning. Pena never found his footing after being optioned to Triple-A to try to right the ship. Through 68 1/3 innings in Salt Lake this season, Pena was rocked for an 8.03 ERA. His 18.8 percent strikeout rate and 8.6 percent walk rate there were both worse than his Major League levels from 2018-20, and he yielded an average of 1.84 homers per nine frames.
The Halos passed Pena through waivers unclaimed in mid-May, so today’s move doesn’t open a 40-man roster spot. As a player with three-plus years of Major League service who’d been outrighted off the 40-man roster, Pena would have become a free agent at season’s end anyhow, so today’s move just gives him a bit of a head start on gauging interest from other teams. He’ll likely have to settle for a minor league contract in free agency, but Pena posted sharp results as recently as 2020, when he worked to a 4.05 ERA and struck out more than a quarter of his opponents against a seven percent walk rate. Rough 2021 season notwithstanding, he should garner some interest this winter.
Good arm. He’ll be fine.
Hopefully this is foreshadowing of a pitching staff house cleaning for the winter.
They did that last year and brought in Claudio and Guerra in the off-season. Perry either has to use a previously unused portion of his brain or grow a brain.
Because last years moves were historically stupid, I’m not optimistic.
I agree last winter was a complete failure. I’m not ready to blame Manasian entirely yet though. I think Moreno is the issue. We have had the same problem every year through several GMs. Moreno has been the only constant. Manasian was credited with building a successful BP in Atlanta so I believe he knows what’s needed and how to get it. Moreno needs to get out of his way. I don’t know what the answer is if Moreno doesn’t relinquish control.
I get it, but the bullpen is not flashy or expensive. There is no reason why Moreno would interfere with the pen.
There is no way Moreno would petition for singing Claudio and Guerra. There is no way he’d petition for signing them so early in the off-season. That’s all on Perry.
Of course Peeey needing to build an entire bullpen on a shoestring budget is due to Arte signing bats and skimping on development.
Yeah, Moreno’s personal salary cap has stayed around 175m a year for several years. His MO has always been to lowball FA pitchers to say he was in on them, then spend all his money on a position player. With Pujols off the books next year and others, we can really build a solid pitching staff.
I would also like to see them try to dump Upton and at least half of the salary to free up more. We don’t need him with Adell and Marsh. As I see it, our needs this winter are pitching first, back up catcher, and shortstop.
My only concern is Moreno will tell Manasian to rely on the drafted pitchers and find a rotation and bull pen from that group combined with who we already have.
But at what prospect cost? Sending Upton out would require prospect capitol that we neither have nor can afford to lose.
34 – I disagree. I think us eating 14m of the 28m owed to Upton would be enough.. A team getting a healthy Upton for 14m is a steal. And it frees up 14m for some pitching for us. Of course Upton would have to agree to a trade.
@prov356 That’s a pretty big “if” considering his last quality year was 2018.
Besides, any type of trade including him will be made at the last second by any other team in order to minimize the amount of salary they have to cover. No way anyone takes on him at 14 million right now, especially when his value since 2018 hardly warrants it.
I totally agree. If you’ve read any of my Upton rants, it is clear I am not a fan. But there are people who still regard him as an elite player. I hope they are at least talking about a strategy to dump him and some of his salary.
@prov356
Fair enough. Best case scenario is Upton returns to form and the Angels get some quality prospects and manage to dump most of what’s left on his contract. The sooner the better.
Of course, anything could happen. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Still, Twas fun sharing thoughts on this.
I thank you
There is no way on gods green Earth that those two pitchers should have been guaranteed roster spots so early. I made that point then, it has become overwhelming obvious now,
How does anyone still not understand that?
Hey Halo – I think everyone agrees with you on that. They were bad acquisitions.
However, I still can’t wrap my head around your issue with timing. If the right player comes along in November, you have to grab him. So I don’t think the “when” was the issue. It was the “who”. Claudio, as you have pointed out many times, was not the talent we needed to improve the pen. I don’t think the timing of his acquisition would have changed that.
The timing was the issue. The Angels locked two roster spots very early with disposable players.
Maybe I’m not explaining it well. But if you lock a spot early with a player that is unlikely to be good, then you can’t go out and fill that spot with a player that has a reasonable chance to be good.
These roster spots have value.
If it’s late February, and the best you can do is Claudio and Guerra, so be it. But the Angels could have EASILY picked up two such players in Late February..
Why the rush to obtain players who were unlikely to help? That was the stupid part.
While it was pretty obvious that the Angels liked Guerra, he came to camp on a minor league deal, so he wasn’t technically “locked” into a spot. I disagreed with your timing argument on Claudio at the time, but you turned out to be right that they didn’t add anyone else of significance, until the very end of spring training when I guess panic mode set in and they got Cishek and Watson.
And I’m positive he only signed with the Angels because they promised him a chance to make the team, thus locking up a spot.
And the Cishek/Watson spots became available because of injury and the shockingly poor Spring of Buttrey who everyone thought was going to be the team’s setup man.
The point is, you don’t bring in garbage so early. If you need garbage, it’s easy to pick it up at the end of February.
pro356, I’m going to agree with Jacob on this one. I don’t believe anyone would have interest in Upton at $14 million. The Angels would need to eat $20+ million to even generate a phone call or two. And Upton has a full no trade clause, doesn’t he?
Upton at $14 million is a steal alright, it’s a theft of $14 million dollars…
Upton is a 4th outfielder now. With Angel injuries, the final season may work out. Look who is playing outfield today.
A&NL – Based on Upton’s stats on the Angels, you are probably right. 14m might be a little high for a team to take him. He does have a full no trade clause so there are a lot of moving parts before it can even happen. It would be a shame, but very Angelesque, to pay a 4th outfielder 28m.
That makes sense Halo.
I don’t think Claudio and Guerra are solely to blame for their losing season. You write the same thing over and over. Claudio been gone for a long time now. Let it go
Tingley, they are not the blame, but the moves were extraordinarily stupid.
I don’t think anyone can deny the bullpen, outside of Iglesias, has been a problem, and not enough was done to address the bullpen in an offseason that had a number of solid middle relief free agents available.
Minasian deserves a lot (most) of criticism for this season’s roster construction, but you can’t tell me that an entire offseason of adding ex-Rays/Cubs players didn’t include Maddon’s input. I know it’s not in his job description, but he obviously had some influence on it and was pretty vocal/happy about having his type of roster at the beginning of the season. He should shoulder some blame.
JH. He should shoulder some of the blame.
I’m confident that Maddon was at least consulted.
Assuming that he’s healthy he should have more than one offer this off-season.
Wouldn’t mind him back in a minors deal at all. One injured season doesn’t wipe out the rest of his work.
Hey Padres! Here’s your number 1 starter!!!
For the first time in my life, I didn’t go to an Angels game this season.
Didn’t drive over to Tempe for Spring training this season.
Didn’t buy one piece of merch this season.
Didn’t even pay for FSWest this season.
Arte is saving his money and so am I.
Sealbeach – That’s the best way to send a message. I feel the same way about MLB in general with the decisions they’ve made and rules they’ve implemented in the last 2 years. It seems Manfred continues to be on the wrong side of things.
Manfred is MLB’s Joe Biden.
It’s time to trade Mike Trout and Ohtani in a package together for at least 3 MLB ready top Prospects.
Quintana and Guerra plus the errors are solely to blame for the fiasco of this year.
It’s a joke that we can’t even beat the mariners this year.