Angels Select Nick Sandlin

The Angels announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Nick Sandlin.  Right-hander George Klassen was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake in the corresponding move, and no 40-man transaction was required since the Halos had an open space on their 40-man roster.

Sandlin signed a minor league deal with Los Angeles after the Blue Jays outrighted the reliever off their 40-man roster in November.  It was basically an early non-tender, as Sandlin was projected to earn a $2MM arbitration salary in 2026, and Sandlin elected to become a free agent in the wake of the outright assignment.

It wasn’t long ago that Sandlin was a valued member of the Guardians bullpen, posting a 3.27 ERA, 27.7% strikeout rate, and 11.4% walk rate over 195 1/3 innings for Cleveland from 2021-24.  Home runs became an increasingly large problem for Sandlin over his last two seasons with the Guards, yet it was poor health rather than a lack of results that marred his lone season in Toronto.  Sandlin had a 2.20 ERA over only 16 1/3 innings and 19 appearances with the Jays, as he missed most of the year due to a lat strain, and then elbow inflammation.

Signing Sandlin to a minors contract represented a low-cost risk for the Angels, who spent much of their offseason trying to buy low on once-solid relievers looking for bounce-back years.  The early returns in Salt Lake were been promising for Sandlin since he had a 1.42 ERA over 6 1/3 Triple-A innings, though his secondary metrics weren’t impressive.

Klassen heads back to Triple-A after making his first two Major League starts, and the righty’s debut in the Show was far from smooth.  Klassen was hit hard to the tune of a 13.50 ERA over his 4 2/3 innings pitched (with a whopping 10 walks allowed), and he also left his start yesterday due to a fingernail issue.