Los Angeles Angels finalize deal with former Toronto Blue Jays right-hander
Photo credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
The Los Angeles Angels have signed former Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Nick Sandlin to a minor league contract.
According to a report from Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, the Angels and reliever Nick Sandlin are in agreement on a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training.
The Angels have signed RH reliever Nick Sandlin to a minor league deal with a spring training invite. Sandlin, 29, pitched in 19 games with TOR last season, with a 2.20 ERA. Career 3.19 ERA in parts of five MLB seasons.
Sandlin joins a short list of former Blue Jays to pitch for the Angels in 2026
Sandlin joins former Blue Jays pitchers Yusei Kickuchi, Alek Manoah, Jordan Romano, and Taylor Saucedo who signed January 4.
Sandlin, 29, has logged parts of four seasons in the majors, spending most of that time with the Guardians.
Cleveland dealt him to Toronto last offseason as part of the Andrés Giménez trade.
Sandlin's stint with the Blue Jays, however, was brief and frustrating.
A lat strain followed by elbow inflammation limited him to just 16 1/3 innings, with most of the year spent on the injured list.
After the season, the Blue Jays designated him for assignment, he cleared waivers and effectively elected free agency.
It's was effectively an early non-tender of the righty reliever. Sandlin was in line for a $2MM salary if he were tendered an arbitration contract.
Before injuries derailed his time in Toronto, Sandlin had established himself as a reliable bullpen arm in Cleveland.
From 2021 through 2024, he threw 195 1/3 innings with a solid 3.27 ERA, pairing a strong 27.7% strikeout rate with a 43.6% ground-ball rate.
While his walk rate sat above league average, Sandlin's ability to miss bats and keep the ball on the ground helped offset the free passes.
Velocity has never been a defining part of Sandlin's game, but his fastball dipped to new lows last season, averaging 91.4 mph on his four-seamer and 91.8 mph on his sinker - both career lows.
Given his arm injuries, it's fair to wonder how close he was to full strength when he did take the mound.
Even in limited action, Sandlin flashed encouraging signs, including an impressive 14.8% swinging-strike rate in 2025, albeit in a small sample.
There should be an opportunity for Sandlin to earn a bullpen role in Anaheim if he performs well during spring training or early in the year at Triple-A Salt Lake.
The Angels will probably add some more arms to the spring competition before long, but Sandlin gives them another talented arm on which to roll the dice.
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| POLL | ||
JANVIER 26|57 ANSWERS Los Angeles Angels finalize deal with former Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Do you think former Blue Jays reliever Nick Sandlin with break camp with the Angels? | ||
| Yes | 24 | 42.1 % |
| No | 15 | 26.3 % |
| Too early to tell | 18 | 31.6 % |
| List of polls | ||