Cobb 'happy to be here,' open to extension

ANAHEIM -- Angels right-hander Alex Cobb has been one of the club’s most consistent pitchers this season and was considered to be a potential trade piece leading up to Friday’s Trade Deadline.

But Cobb ultimately wasn’t moved, and said he was pleased that he’s still with the Angels and would be open to an extension this offseason. He was also placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained right wrist on Friday after feeling some discomfort while throwing earlier this week, but he believes it’s a minor injury. Initial testing has yet to find any structural damage, and he plans to throw again soon to test it after taking a short break from throwing to let it heal.

“I’m thankful to still be here,” Cobb said. “I truly believe this is a team on the verge of winning a championship and would be honored to be part of it going forward. Obviously a lot of other stuff goes into it. But I’m happy to be here.”

Cobb, 33, has made 15 starts this season, going 7-3 with a 3.82 ERA and 84 strikeouts and just three homers allowed in 77 2/3 innings. He'd been on a roll recently, including a 1.09 ERA over his last four starts, but left his last start on July 23 with a blister on his right index finger that is now healed.

The Angels have a well-known need for starting pitching going forward, and Cobb indicated he’d like to be part of the rotation beyond this year. Cobb, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Orioles, is set to be a free agent after the season but already has strong ties to manager Joe Maddon, who was his skipper with Tampa Bay from 2011-14. Cobb also said he’s forged a good relationship with general manager Perry Minasian.

“I knew this was somewhere I wanted to be months ago,” Cobb said. “I’m really thankful I was traded over here, to get back to Joe and get to know the front office and the guys we have in this clubhouse. I’ve told a lot of people, you can kind of see which team is on the verge of being a championship-caliber team, and I don’t know that 'on the verge' is right, because we have so many talented guys.”

Cobb said he hasn’t had any formal conversations with Minasian about an extension, but he’s made it clear to him that he likes being part of the organization.

“I’m not making it a secret,” Cobb said. “Perry is really good at being around. He’s in the clubhouse. This whole culture created here is that everybody is friends and family. There’s not a tier of people you don’t talk to. He’s in here like my teammates, so we have casual conversations. And in those conversations, I say how awesome it is here, and he says how much he enjoys having us veteran players.”