The Angels announced that left-hander Drew Pomeranz has been released from his minor league contract with the team. Pomeranz and Jake Marisnick were two Article XX(B) free agents who had the ability to opt out of their minor league deals on Friday if they weren’t added to the Angels’ Opening Day roster, and while Pomeranz is moving on, Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group writes that Marisnick won’t make the team but isn’t exercising his opt-out clause.
Pomeranz hasn’t pitched in a big league game since August 2021, as the southpaw underwent a flexor tendon surgery that has essentially put his career on hold. Pomeranz has tossed only 10 1/3 minor league innings over the 2022-23 seasons due to a number of setbacks, including an unspecified “cleanup surgery” in his throwing elbow last May. His eight innings of relief work in the Angels’ spring camp actually represents one of his longer stretches of pitching in a while, and Pomeranz posted a 5.63 ERA over those eight frames and nine appearances.
The Padres signed Pomeranz to a four-year, $34MM deal in the 2019-20 offseason, betting that his impressive results as a full-time relief pitcher late in the 2019 season with the Brewers would continue in the coming years. Pomeranz had a 1.62 ERA over 44 1/3 innings up until the time of his flexor surgery, cutting short what seemed to be a very promising new chapter of his career as a bullpen weapon.
The four-year contract expired at the end of the 2023 campaign, putting Pomeranz back onto the open market and landing in Los Angeles on a minors contract. Now entering his age-35 season, nobody would blame Pomeranz if he chose to call it a career in the wake of so many injury woes, though it would be equally unsurprising if he continued to seek out another minor league deal if he is finally feeling healthy for the first time in years. Given his past pedigree, another club could well bring him into the fold on a minors contract in order to see what the left-hander still has in the tank.
I’m sure this is all because Alex Cora misused him when he was on the Red Sox.
Cora’s inability to use a staff is well known but didn’t Pomerantz have an injury history before Boston? If I was a pennant contender I’d take a shot because the cost should be low and if he works towards a second half comeback, he could be like the best deadline pickup a team could get. A lot of risk but still high reward potential. Most likely you crap out if you roll the dice with Poms at this point, but I’d still take a chance if the cost is minimal.
Chance for the Giants to swoop in and offer him a minor league contract. He might get the call up.
maybe he gets a shot across the bay in Oakland
Been a while since he played. But he certainly got paid.
He was *this* close to an Andrew Miller-type dominant bullpen run. Fare thee well Pom, wish we saw more of your peak.
He had one bad game against the As this spring training that skewed his stats. Was he really that bad that he couldn’t replace one of our crap relievers?
Who would you want him to replace?
Angels are secretly planning to bring back an old favorite for the role in Aaron Loup which would make Pomeranz redundant.
Agreed. They certainly had a spot for him with Stephenson (almost certainly) opening up on the DL. Soriano can start in triple-A as they want to stretch him out as a starter (an opportunity he wouldn’t have now in the big leagues). And Wantz also got optioned to Salt Lake, making it one less guy to compete with on the 26-man roster.
It’s probably going to Zuniga, and maybe Strickland
Yes, Strickland for sure. And it’s now appearing like Zuniga will get the other spot now that they’ve cut Pomeranz.
Estevez, Stephenson, Moore, Cimber, Garcia and Cisnero are all ahead of him. Suarez may benefit from a move to the bullpen, and has been successful more recently than Pomeranz. Zuniga has had a good spring and is on the 40 man roster already, so they wouldn’t have to make a 40 man roster move if Zuniga makes the team instead of Pomeranz. I think this move also means the Angels think Hunter Strickland has looked better than Pomeranz, as Strickland still appears to be in the hunt for a spot in the bullpen.
Im sure the Padres are interested as depth
*Strokes beard*
Now there’s a name I havent heard in a long time.
Get off me, and leave my beard alone!
Giants need all of the LHP that they can get.
He was worth a shot but didn’t impress. I’d like him back on a minor league deal. With time his stuff could get crisper
@ halosheavenJJ I say try to resign him, because he had a opt out, and let kolarek go not sure if he has opt out, but he definitely looked like crap.
Agreed.
most Padres fans knew it was a bad deal when they signed him. AJ Preller has got mental issues, he is really set the Padres up for some really bad problems in their financial future.
Not mental. just Bad judgment!
I’d say his mental issues are intertwined with bad judgement like a tangled up ball of fishing line. Can’t separate the two.
Played over and over again. Player has short reset of success. Then is overpaid for too long a contract. Once a good. Now a ham and egger minus, if healthy. Good Luck! I think He should retire. Did like him in Brew town. But that was a long time ago. Do not overpay for veteran pitching unless the player is very good!
A’s again . They’re lefty deficient .