Angels acquire Andriese from D-backs
ANAHEIM -- The Angels added more pitching on Tuesday, acquiring right-hander Matt Andriese from the D-backs in exchange for pitching prospect Jeremy Beasley. Andriese has experience as both a starter and a reliever but general manager Billy Eppler said Andriese will head to camp competing for a spot in the rotation and they'll evaluate the situation from there.
Andriese, 30, has pitched in a variety of roles in his five years in the Majors with the Rays and D-backs but was exclusively a reliever in 54 appearances with Arizona last year. But he has made 49 career starts and could be used in a swingman-type role for the Angels. He’s also under team control through the 2021 season and already avoided arbitration for ’20, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $1.395 million.
Andriese is the latest addition to the Angels, who have been busy this offseason, signing third baseman Anthony Rendon to a seven-year, $245 million deal while also trading for right-hander Dylan Bundy and signing right-hander Julio Teheran and catcher Jason Castro to one-year deals. Andriese gives the Angels flexibility because of his ability to both start and relieve. The trade also wouldn’t preclude them from adding another starter to the mix to join Andrew Heaney, Griffin Canning, Bundy and Teheran with Shohei Ohtani pitching once a week.
Andriese posted a 4.71 ERA with 79 strikeouts, 27 walks and eight homers allowed in 70 2/3 innings last year. He has a career 4.58 ERA with 391 strikeouts in 428 2/3 innings, including a 4.64 ERA as a starter and a 4.50 ERA in 118 relief appearances.
The 6-foot-2 right-hander possesses a fastball that averages 92.5 mph and relies heavily on his changeup, throwing it 37.3 percent of the time, while also mixing in a curveball roughly 10 percent of the time. His four-seam fastball also has an above-average spin rate, per Statcast.
Andriese, a Redlands, Calif., native, was originally drafted by the Padres in the third round of the 2011 MLB Draft out of UC Riverside. He was more of a sinker/slider pitcher in college but developed his four-seam fastball and changeup as a professional.
To get Andriese, the Angels traded Beasley, who was ranked as the club’s No. 18 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. Beasley, a 30th-rounder in the 2017 MLB Draft out of Clemson, posted a 4.49 ERA with 115 strikeout in 122 1/3 innings between Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Salt Lake last year. He has a career 3.54 ERA in 265 2/3 innings in the Minors.
To make room for Andriese on the 40-man roster, the Angels designated right-hander Luis Madero for assignment. Additionally, lefty Adalberto Mejia cleared waivers and was officially released after being DFA'd on Jan. 7. Madero, ranked as the club's No. 11 prospect by MLB Pipeline, posted a 5.03 ERA with 98 strikeouts in 105 2/3 innings across Class A Advanced Inland Empire and Double-A Mobile.
When a player's contract is designated for assignment -- often abbreviated "DFA" -- that player is immediately removed from his club's 40-man roster, and 25-man roster if he was on that as well. Within seven days of the transaction (it was previously 10 days), the player must either be traded, released or placed on irrevocable outright waivers.