Angels Cut Two Underperforming Veterans

Maren Angus-Coombs | Aug 15, 2024

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Angels released two left-handed relievers on Wednesday. Both were non-roster minor leaguers but have major league experience.

Amir Garrett and Adam Kolarek are both seeking new employment, per each player’s transactions tracker at MLB.com.

Garrett signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants this winter but was released before the season began when the club realized he wouldn't make the Opening Day roster. The opportunity opened him up to sign with the Angels.

The Angels selected Garrett to the big league roster at the end of April, and he was in the majors for about two weeks. He pitched 5.1 innings and accumulated 11 strikeouts but also allowed five walks, leading to a 5.06 earned-run average.

Garrett was designated for assignment on May 15 but returned on a new minor league deal on May 20. He never made it back to the big leagues. He has tossed 33.2 innings for Triple-A Salt Lake this year with a 5.08 ERA.

Garrett's last eight appearances were the best of the season. Over 11.1 innings, he had 20 strikeouts, just four walks, and an ERA of 1.59.

Before heading out to the West Coast, Garrett spent several years in the Midwest. The left-handed reliever posted a 3.33 ERA and 1.726 WHIP in 24.1 innings last season with the Kansas City Royals. Before pitching for the Royals, he was with the Cincinnati Reds.

Garrett made 14 starts as a rookie for the Reds, in addition to 221 relief appearances over five seasons in Cincinnati.

Kolarek also has a respectable track record, but he didn't have much success this season.

The Angels signed him in the offseason for $900,000 and ran him through waivers. He didn't appear in a single game for the big league club this season. He pitched 31 innings at the Triple-A level this year but with a 6.97 ERA.

Kolarek spent last season with both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets, where he made five total major league appearances between the two clubs before finishing the year in the Atlanta Braves' minor league system.

His best career seasons came with the Dodgers back in 2019 and 2020, when he posted two straight sub-1.00 ERAs.

Kolarek spent his first 2.5 major league seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays before getting traded to the Dodgers in 2019 and winning a World Series ring in 2020. He spent the next two years with the Oakland Athletics before rejoining the Dodgers last season.