SF Giants sign former Angels reliever to major league contract

The SF Giants took advantage of their roster flexibility, signing former Los Angeles Angels reliever Austin Warren to a one-year deal.

The SF Giants announced the signing of right-handed pitcher Austin Warren to a one-year contract on Wednesday. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Warren, the Giants shifted Robbie Ray to the 60-day injured list. However, Warren underwent UCL surgery in May of last year, and could very well be slated to be placed on the 60-day injured list as well for a subsequent move. Warren had spent his entire career in the Los Angeles Angels organization.

Angels relief pitcher Austin Warren delivers a pitch against the Dodgers. (2022) / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Warren only made seven appearances last season before undergoing his season-ending surgery. He did not allow a run in five appearances at Triple-A, but allowed just one run on a solo homer in a pair of outings in the majors. Warren made 32 big-league appearances with the Angels from 2021-2023, posting a 3.55 ERA (3.75 FIP) with 31 strikeouts and 10 walks in 38 innings pitched.

The Angels drafted Warren in the sixth round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of UNC Wilmington. The 6'0'' tall righty was always developed as a relief-pitching prospect and reached Double-A before the end of his first professional season. Following the 2019 campaign, Warren was one of the most dominant pitchers at the Arizona Fall League (1.54 ERA with 15 strikeouts and two walks in 11.2 innings pitched).

Warren's upward trajectory was stalled by the cancelled minor-league season in 2020. Upon his return to affiliate ball in 2021, Warren was promoted to Triple-A and soon received his first big-league call. Warren had some struggles in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but was quite impressive in his first MLB stint. In 16 appearances with the Angels, he racked up 20 strikeouts and just five walks in 20.1 innings pitched with a 1.77 ERA (2.09 FIP).

Warren's profile aligns with the tendencies of the Giants front office under president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. Warren does not have an overpowering fastball, and instead, primarily throws a slider. His fastball sits around 92-94 mph, but he has attempted to make up for the lack of velocity by throwing a four-seam fastball and sinker.

The SF Giants have had good success helping relievers return from UCL surgery. Offseason departures Scott Alexander and John Brebbia are just a couple examples of pitchers who signed with the San Francisco for relatively small deals since they were recovering from major injuries and they both went on to have productive tenures with the organization.