The Angels have signed right-hander Connor Brogdon to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has been assigned to Triple-A Salt Lake for now but will presumably receive an invite to big league spring training.
Brogdon, 30 this month, had a solid run with the Phillies earlier in his career but has faced some significant challenges more recently. From 2020 to 2022, he logged 113 innings for Philadelphia, allowing 3.42 earned runs per nine. He struck out 25.1% of batters faced while only giving out walks at a 7.3% clip. He was trusted enough to earn three saves and 16 holds in that time.
But things started to trend down in 2023. He posted a 4.03 ERA in 29 innings that year, though the underlying numbers were more concerning. His walk rate ticked up to 10.2% while he was only punching out 20.5% of opponents. The Phillies optioned him in June and he had a 5.46 ERA in Triple-A the rest of the way.
2024 was then mostly a lost season due to injuries. He was designated for assignment by the Phils in April and claimed by the Dodgers, with the latter club putting him on the injured list a few days later due to plantar fasciitis. He started up a few rehab assignments throughout the year but didn’t come off the IL until the season was over, getting outrighted off the roster in November and electing free agency.
It’s obviously been a rough couple of years but perhaps the persistent foot problems offer some explanation. If Brogdon can put those behind him and get back to his previous form, he would be a nice find, especially on a no-risk minor league deal. He showed some promise during his rehab assignments last year, throwing 13 innings with a 3.21 ERA, 34.4% strikeout rate and 8.2% walk rate. If he can earn his way into a roster spot, he is out of options but he has less than four years of major league service time, meaning he can be retained beyond 2025 via arbitration if he’s holding a roster spot at season’s end.
