At last, the Angels have signed a pitcher. After missing out on Stephen Strasburg and Gerrit Cole, the Angels have agreed to a one year deal with Julio Teheran, as first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Teheran had spent his whole career with the Atlanta Braves before they declined his $12M option for the 2020 season. In 2019, Teheran started 33 games, posting a 3.81 ERA to go along with a 10-11 record. It was also the 7th straight season in which Teheran pitched at least 170 innings, which will provide some stability to an Angels rotation that only had Trevor Cahill reach the 100 inning plateau in 2019.
Teheran is only 28 and holds a career 3.67 ERA, but worries over regression limited his chance for a lucrative multi year deal. His fastball averaged a career high 91.4 MPH in 2017, but has declined to 89.7 MPH after 2019. In addition, his career FIP of 4.23 is a cause for concern, though he has been able to out-pitch his peripherals throughout his career.
Teheran joins Dylan Bundy as newcomers to the Angels rotation for the 2020 season. With Teheran’s contract being worth $9M, it still gives the Angels the payroll flexibility to sign another starter. Dallas Keuchel and Hyun Jin Ryu remains options on the free agent market, while Robbie Ray and Matthew Boyd could be trade targets for the Halos.
Featured Photo: John Bazemore/ AP Photo
