Luis Garcia. Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Angels reunite with this righty reliever on one-year deal

Originally posted on MLB Trade Rumors | By Anthony Franco | Last updated 12/5/23

The Angels are in agreement with reliever Luis García on a one-year, $4.25M contract, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The team has yet to announce the deal, which is pending a physical.

An 11-year big league veteran, García is set for a second stint with the Halos. The right-hander spent the 2019 campaign in Orange County, turning in a 4.35 ERA across 64 appearances. That was amidst a difficult three-year run spanning 2018-20, but García has generally turned things around over the past couple seasons.

After pitching to a 3.24 ERA in 34 games with the Cardinals in 2021, the Dominican Republic native inked a two-year pact with the Padres. He had a strong first year at Petco Park, tossing 61 innings of 3.39 ERA ball while working in a high-leverage role.

García’s second season wasn’t as impressive. His ERA jumped to 4.03 while his strikeout rate dropped from a quality 26.3% mark to a middling 19.9% clip. As his production tailed off, the Padres deployed him in mostly low-leverage situations.

Despite that dip, there are still a few clear positives for the Halos front office. García has an extended track record of keeping the ball on the ground. He has allowed fewer than one home run per nine innings in three straight seasons and racked up grounders at a massive 61.5% rate this year.

Even as he enters his age-37 campaign, he’s still one of the harder throwers available. García’s sinker sat north of 97 mph.

It’s the second grounder specialist whom the Halos have added this offseason. They signed left-hander Adam Kolarek to a $900K guarantee a few weeks ago. García also steps into the middle innings mix alongside younger, more volatile arms like Ben Joyce and José Soriano. The Halos still seem likely to look for a clearer setup option to bridge the gap to closer Carlos Estévez.

The signing brings the Angels’ 2024 payroll projection to roughly $156M, as calculated by Roster Resource. They’re upwards of $50M from last season’s Opening Day payroll and around $70M shy of the luxury tax threshold.

This article first appeared on MLB Trade Rumors and was syndicated with permission.

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