The Los Angeles Angels continue to rebuild their bullpen, signing lefty reliever Tayler Saucedo to a deal as reported by Nick Deeds of MLBTradeRumors.com. Terms weren’t disclosed, but according to Deeds, it’s likely a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.
Saucedo made his debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021, but he’s done most of his work with the Seattle Mariners, who picked him up off waivers before the 2023 season. The reliever was a reliable part of the Seattle bullpen during the two seasons that followed, posting a 3.54 ERA in 86-1/3 innings to go with a 21.7 strikeout rate and a walk rate of just 11 percent, according to Deeds.
So what happened? Good question. Saucedo basically fell apart in 2025 as his ERA ballooned to 7.43 across 13-1/3 innings, and as a result he spent most of the rest of the season in Triple A at Tacoma. He suffered a lat strain there that further tanked his season, but he was able to return to form in Tacoma, with a 2.75 ERA in 22 appearances to go with a strikeout rate of 27.9 percent.
But the Mariners decided that wasn’t good enough to keep Saucedo around, so they non-tendered him back in November. Given the sequence of events, Saucedo is now one of the healthiest hurlers the Angels have signed so far.
Whether that will matter will depend on some extent to new pitching coach Mike Maddux, as Saucedo can be considered another Maddux reclamation project. The line for these guys is around the block at this point, but the Angels currently have just one lefty in the pen, and receiver Brock Burke’s performance has fallen off since his outstanding 2022 season with the Texas Rangers.
Look for Saucedo to compete for that lefty specialist role, but there’s plenty of room in the Angels bullpen for hitters who can throw strikes and get outs. Saucedo profiles as a pitcher who can get strikeouts and ground balls, which is a rarity in today’s pitching market, so he’ll get a long look.
There’s plenty of competition, though, as the Angels have also added lefty Drew Pomeranz to go with Robert Stephenson and Kirby Yates. Spring training will become something of a shakedown cruise for Maddux and the staff as the Halos try to figure out who will handle the late innings, so it will be interesting to see where Saucedo lands.