The Angels announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Nick Sandlin. Right-hander George Klassen was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake in the corresponding move, and no 40-man transaction was required since the Halos had an open space on their 40-man roster.
Sandlin signed a minor league deal with Los Angeles after the Blue Jays outrighted the reliever off their 40-man roster in November. It was basically an early non-tender, as Sandlin was projected to earn a $2MM arbitration salary in 2026, and Sandlin elected to become a free agent in the wake of the outright assignment.
It wasn’t long ago that Sandlin was a valued member of the Guardians bullpen, posting a 3.27 ERA, 27.7% strikeout rate, and 11.4% walk rate over 195 1/3 innings for Cleveland from 2021-24. Home runs became an increasingly large problem for Sandlin over his last two seasons with the Guards, yet it was poor health rather than a lack of results that marred his lone season in Toronto. Sandlin had a 2.20 ERA over only 16 1/3 innings and 19 appearances with the Jays, as he missed most of the year due to a lat strain, and then elbow inflammation.
Signing Sandlin to a minors contract represented a low-cost risk for the Angels, who spent much of their offseason trying to buy low on once-solid relievers looking for bounce-back years. The early returns in Salt Lake were been promising for Sandlin since he had a 1.42 ERA over 6 1/3 Triple-A innings, though his secondary metrics weren’t impressive.
Klassen heads back to Triple-A after making his first two Major League starts, and the righty’s debut in the Show was far from smooth. Klassen was hit hard to the tune of a 13.50 ERA over his 4 2/3 innings pitched (with a whopping 10 walks allowed), and he also left his start yesterday due to a fingernail issue.
I’ll be honest I was surprised to see George Klassen get another start Saturday in Cincinnati. After that first outing, it felt pretty clear the kid isn’t ready yet. Once things unraveled, he couldn’t find the strike zone, and big‑league hitters don’t let you off the hook for that.
The talent is there. The stuff is real. But until he learns to command his pitches with two strikes and actually finish hitters off, he’s going to keep running into the same wall. Let him develop, let him breathe, and let him learn how to execute when it matters.
The average fastball for a right handed pitcher in the big leagues is pushing 96MPH.
There is so much more to pitching than a good fastball. Bad shape, bad command, bad extension = overrated prospect.