Angels Make Trade, Acquire Pitcher From Cardinals

The Angels acquired a reliever with two innings of big-league experience on Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Angels announced a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday morning, acquiring Guillermo Zuñiga and cash from the National League Central team in exchange for cash considerations.

The #Angels have acquired RHP Guillermo Zuñiga from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for cash considerations.

In a corresponding 40-man roster move, RHP Austin Warren has been designated for assignment.

— Angels PR (@LAAngelsPR) February 7, 2024

The right-handed relief pitcher made his major league debut last season against the Angels on May 2 and struck out two batters, including Mike Trout, in one inning of work.

His second, and final, appearance of the season was on Aug. 19 against the New York Mets. He was roughed up for two hits and one earned run, sending his ERA up to 4.50.

Zuñiga was designated for assignment on Feb. 3.

The 25-year-old has spent the majority of his professional career in the minors. Since signing with the Atlanta Braves as an international free agent in 2016, he spent two years in the Braves' farm system before playing three in the Dodgers organization. 

He's a flamethrower with a fastball nearing triple-digits but lacks control at times. In Triple-A Memphis last season, he had a 7.63 ERA in 30.2 innings.

He has a couple option years remaining in his contract, which will allow the Angels to move up and down freely. If he can channel his performance at the World Baseball Classic, there might not be a need for that.

Zuñiga struck out Alex Verdugo of Team Mexico to seal a win for Colombia and reach 102 miles per hour.

Cardinals RHP Guillermo Zuñiga has officially been called up to the bigs. 🇨🇴

Zuñiga and his 102 mph heater were absolutely dominant in the WBC for Colombia against both USA and Mexico:

3 IP
0 ER
6 K
1 BBpic.twitter.com/q07a4cBFxT

— Shawn Spradling (@Shawn_Spradling) May 2, 2023

With Team Colombia against the United States, Zuñiga struck out Trout and Paul Goldschmidt before getting Nolan Arenado to ground out weakly.

The Angels cleared space for Zuñiga on the 40-man roster by designating pitcher Austin Warren for assignment. Warren, a 28-year-old right-hander, went 6-0 in 32 relief appearances from 2021-23.

The Angels previously designated Warren for assignment in Jan. 2023, but he remained in the organization.