The Angels added a couple of veterans to their bullpen mix on Tuesday, signing left-hander Drew Pomeranz and right-hander Jordan Romano.
Pomeranz, who will make $4 million in 2026, is coming off a season in which he posted a 2.17 ERA in 57 games with the Chicago Cubs.
Romano, who will make $2 million, represents more of a gamble. He was an All-Star reliever in 2022 and 2023, but over the past two seasons he’s posted a 7.83 ERA.
It continues a trend this winter for the Angels. They have taken low-risk fliers on players who have upside. None of their other three additions this winter – pitchers Grayson Rodriguez and Alek Manoah and infielder Vaughn Grissom – even appeared in the majors in 2025.
The total outlay for the five players is less than $10 million, with Pomeranz getting the biggest deal.
Pomeranz, 37, was a reclamation project a year ago. Injuries prevented him from pitching in the majors from 2022 to 2024. The Seattle Mariners had Pomeranz on a minor-league deal last spring, and they traded him to the Cubs in late April.
Pomeranz struck out 57 and walked 15 in 49⅔ innings with the Cubs, holding opponents to a .210 batting average. Lefties hit .176 against him.
Romano, 32, had a 2.67 ERA through his first five major league seasons, including a 2.49 mark over his back-to-back All-Star seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays.
In 2024, Romano had elbow surgery that cost him most of the season. He pitched just 13⅔ innings with the Blue Jays. The Philadelphia Phillies nonetheless took a chance on him last season, signing him to an $8.5 million, one-year deal.
Romano pitched in 49 games with the Phillies last season, posting an 8.23 ERA.
Romano has a career 3.73 ERA.
It’s unclear exactly how the two pitchers will fit into the Angels’ bullpen, which is full of question marks. Their top two relievers are right-handers Robert Stephenson and Ben Joyce, but both are coming off injuries that cost them almost the entire 2025 season.
