Angels Claim Ryan Watson

The Angels announced that they have claimed right-hander Ryan Watson off waivers from the Red Sox. Boston designated him for assignment earlier this week. The Halos had three 40-man vacancies from their deadline dealings. Watson will need an active roster spot once he reports to the team since he’s a Rule 5 guy and can’t be optioned. The Angels also noted that designated hitter Jorge Soler, who was also designated for assignment this week, has cleared released waivers and is now a free agent.

Watson, 28, was selected in the most recent Rule 5 draft. Technically, he was taken by the Athletics from the Giants, but there was clearly a pre-arranged trade. He was promptly flipped from the A’s to the Red Sox for prospect Justin Riemer.

Boston considered Watson worthy of a shot in the big leagues. Once a starting pitcher, he was moved to the bullpen a few years ago with encouraging results. Over 2024 and 2025, he logged 85 2/3 innings on the farm with a 3.68 earned run average, 27.3% strikeout rate and 7.9% walk rate.

The major league results haven’t been up to that level, at least so far. He gave the Sox 55 2/3 innings over 35 appearances with a 4.53 ERA. His 7.9% walk rate was solid but he only punched out 17.9% of opponents. Boston has been the hottest team in baseball for weeks and went into deadline as buyers. They added lefty reliever Erik Miller, sending out former top prospect Marcelo Mayer, which squeezed Watson off the roster. As a Rule 5 guy, Watson can’t be optioned to the minors this year.

For the Angels, they already had a fairly wide-open bullpen but they created even more opportunities ahead of the deadline. They traded away Kirby Yates, Brent Suter and Ryan Zeferjahn in separate deals. Watson’s Rule 5 restrictions still apply after this claim but it should be easier for them to keep him when there are so few locks in the current relief mix. If he lasts on the roster through the end of the season, the Halos would acquire full control of his rights and he could be optioned to the minors in future seasons.

As for Soler, this was the inevitable outcome after he was designated for assignment. The trade deadline has passed, so he couldn’t be dealt. He wouldn’t have appeal as a waiver claim either since he’s hitting .203/.291/.373 this year and is making a $13MM salary. The Angels remain on the hook for that.

Now that he has been released, another club could sign him and would only have to pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster. That amount would be subtracted from what the Angels pay. Though he’s not having a good year, he has 215 career home runs and could garner interest from clubs hoping for a cheap bounceback.