Angels Among 6 Teams Interested in Standout Free Agent Reliever, Former Halo

They're making a push for more bullpen help.

The Los Angeles Angels have been aggressive in strengthening their bullpen this offseason, and they might not be done just yet. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported that the Angels are among the teams looking into free agent right-handed reliever Ryan Brasier.

Ryan Brasier market: Cardinals, Orioles, Rangers, Dodgers, Angels, Cubs. Brasier had s 0.70 ERA (627 ERA plus) with the Dodgers in 2023.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 5, 2024

So far this offseason, the Angels have signed relief pitchers Luis Garcia, Adam Cimber, and Adam Kolarek. The potential addition of Braiser would be their fourth relief pitcher — but he'd be the best of the bunch.

Originally drafted by the Angels in the sixth round of the 2007 MLB draft, Brasier pitched in just one season with the Angels in 2013 until he was outrighted off the roster and ended up signing a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics.

Then, Brasier didn't see MLB playing time until 2018 when he was a member of the World Series champion Boston Red Sox. 

After struggling early on with the Red Sox last season, Brasier was released and signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Just a few weeks later, he found himself on the MLB roster and became one of L.A.'s top relief pitchers.

In 39 games with the Dodgers last season, Brasier held a 2-0 record with a 0.70 ERA and 38 strikeouts. He quickly became one of the team's best relievers, collecting a total of 10 holds.

According to Baseball Savant, Brasier mostly utilized his fastball and slider last year while occasionally mixing in his sinker and cutter, a pitch he worked on with L.A.

When using his slider, Brasier held a strikeout percentage of 35.2 while his fastball logged in at 27.4 percent, reaching an average of 95.7 MPH.

Brasier has a career ERA of 3.88 while opponents have hit for an average of .234 against him.