Padres Free Agent Reliever Joins AL West Squad

The Los Angeles Angels agreed to a minor league deal with right-handed pitcher Carl Edwards Jr., per MLB insider Aram Leighton.

Edwards' last Major League appearance was with the San Diego Padres last season. It was his second stint with the organization. In 2019, Edwards was traded to the Padres in exchange for Brad Wieck. He only made two appearances for San Diego that season.

The right-hander made just one appearance for the Friars in 2024 where he recorded no outs, allowing two walks and one hit. Edwards got into a bases-loaded jam and the Padres deployed Yuki Matsui to bail him out.

Edwards had a better performance in Triple-A where he split the season between the top affiliates for the Padres and Chicago Cubs. He posted a 3.30 ERA with a 22.2 percent strikeout rate and a 14.3 percent walk rate.

The Padres designated Edwards for assignment in August. He cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A El Paso; however, he rejected the assignment and elected free agency.

In Triple-A, the 33-year-old worked both out of the bullpen and rotation, so the Angels will likely be able to get multiple innings from Edwards.

In 2023, Edwards produced a 3.69 ERA across 31.2 innings pitched with the Washington Nationals. He sustained a stress fracture in his right shoulder, which ended his season prematurely.

Edwards has a 3.54 career-ERA with a 28.1 percent strikeout rate and 12.7 percent walk rate in the big leagues. A majority of his innings have been with the Cubs and Nationals, but the reliever has logged a total of 280 innings between six teams.

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