The Los Angeles Angels are trying to find competent relievers, but Nick Sandlin was awful during his time in Anaheim.
The Los Angeles Angels are back to their m.o. of swapping out relievers on a near-daily basis, and the latest casualty is Nick Sandlin, who was designated for assignment according to a report from Darragh McDonald. In a subsequent move, left-hander Sam Aldegheri has been recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake, but McDonald added that the Angels still have an open roster spot.
The 29-year old Sandlin was signed to a minor league deal in the offseason, with the expectation that he would be able to slot in as a reliable option to get from the starter to whoever was setting up and closing. It wasn’t an awful idea on paper, but in real life the “reliable” part never happened.
Simply put, Sandlin has been awful. He pitched 8-2/3 innings and surrendered 11 earned runs in that time while also giving up nine hits that included two home runs. Sandlin walked five batters and hit three more while striking out five.
You don’t have to watch Sandlin for long to see how and why this went sideways. He lives in the high 80s, which is a tough zone for a pitcher to inhabit in today’s game. His margin for error is razor thin, especially when he’s up in the zone, which happened frequently with the Halos.
Sandlin had some success from 2021-25, according to McDonald, with 211-2/3 innings at the big-league level with a 3.19 ERA. Injuries hobbled him with the Toronto Blue Jays last year, according to McDonald, and the Jays outright him in November and Sandlin elected free agency.
The reliever started out well this year in Triple-A with a 1.42 ERA, but his underlying metrics were poor, the writer added. When Sandlin got called up those numbers regressed to an extreme degree, to say the least.
Sandlin will have the right to elect free agency if he clears waivers. His best option would be if another club wants to gamble on a minor league deal and hope he stays healthy enough in the minors to justify a callus at some point during the season. Given the way the Angels are operating this season, another minor league deal that isn’t out of the question.
Aldeghiri is yet another young pitcher the Angels have been throwing to the wolves, but he did pitch a brilliant game for Italy in the WBC in March. Whether he can do that in Anaheim is an open question, but the bullpen could certainly use the help.