3 relievers the Angels should target next after the Adam Kolarek signing

The Los Angeles Angels made their first MLB signing of the offseason, inking reliever Adam Kolarek to a one-year deal worth $900,000. While Kolarek would’ve been a fine depth addition, giving him a guaranteed deal while he’s also out of options is a bit underwhelming. This bullpen needs a lot of work, and signing a reliever who can’t get right-handed hitters out is not a great way to start building it.

As underwhelming as the Kolarek move is, it’s not an awful one. If managed correctly, the southpaw can still face mostly left-handed hitters and should be able to succeed in that role. It’s on Ron Washington to deploy him correctly.

The Angels cannot be done in their bullpen after this one signing. Here are three relievers they should look to add in addition.

1) David Robertson

David Robertson was a popular free agent target for several teams last offseason before he wound up signing a one-year deal with the Mets. He was expected to be the team’s set-up man before Edwin Diaz went down with his injury. This thrust Robertson into the closer role, and he ran with it while with the Mets.

The right-hander had a 2.05 ERA in 40 appearances and 44 innings pitched. With New York out of it by the trade deadline, Robertson was then traded to the Marlins where he was expected to play a big role. The overall numbers with Miami don’t look good as Robertson really struggled in August, but he finished out the year with a 1.74 ERA in 11 appearances in September, helping Miami secure a playoff berth.

Age is a bit of a concern as he’s 38 years old, but this bullpen could use some veteran leadership which Robertson would provide. He could either step in as the team’s closer, or serve as Carlos Estevez’s set-up man if the Angels are still fixated with him being in that closer role. Robertson’s contract would likely only be for one year, and he’d be a prime trade candidate at the deadline if the team underwhelmed. He’s very clearly still a good pitcher, and would bring a lot of postseason experience to the team as well.

2) Matt Moore

Matt Moore was a late, but brilliant signing made by Perry Minasian and the Angels last offseason. The Angels very clearly still needed bullpen help, and Moore provided that in a big way.

When healthy, he spent the year as Carlos Estevez’s primary set-up man and was phenominal. He went on to post a 2.66 ERA in 41 appearances and 44 innings pitched. He recorded 20 holds and didn’t blow a single save until his 40th appearance. Estevez got the attention because of his dominance in the ninth inning, but Moore was just as good in that first half, if not better.

The Angels got Moore on incredibly team-friendly terms last offseason, signing him to a one-year deal worth $7.5 million. It’d be pretty surprising if he failed to land a multi-year deal considering the fact that he’s been one of the best left-handed relievers in baseball the last couple of years. A multi-year deal for a 34-year-old wouldn’t be the most ideal, but there’s no reason to believe a fall-off is coming.

Even with Kolarek in the bullpen now, the team could still use another left-handed relief option. Moore provides that, while also being a guy who could face righties and even record more than three outs on occasion. There’s a lot to like, and his previous success with the Angels is just the cherry on top.

3) Collin McHugh

The Angels went to the bargain bin to find Kolarek, it wouldn’t be surprising for them to pursue another cheaper reliever coming off a bit of a down year in Collin McHugh. The veteran right-hander had been consistently solid ever since being transitioned to a full-time relief role in 2018, but had an uncharacteristic down year.

McHugh posted a 4.30 ERA in 41 appearances and 58.2 innings pitched. He saw his strikeout rate plummet, his walk rate climb, and his hit rate take a huge leap in the wrong direction. While all of those things happening at one time aren’t great, the hit thing at the very least can be attributed to poor luck.

Opponents had a .348 BAbip against McHugh this past season, a number far higher than the league average of .300. McHugh allowed just five home runs all year, and was in the 78th percentile in barrel rate according to baseball savant. The balls opponents hit against him just seemed to find holes.

In terms of the command, that’s an area McHugh had shined in, particularly in recent seasons. He walked just 1.7 and 1.8 batters per nine in 2021 and 2022 respectively, so seeing that number double was jarring, but also seems like it could trend in the opposite direction in 2023.