The Los Angeles Angels have reportedly signed right-hander Adam Cimber to a one-year, $1.65 million contract to join manager Ron Washington’s bullpen for the 2024 season.
The 33-year-old owns a career 3.49 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 3.83 FIP. Cimber last pitched with the Toronto Blue Jays, after being traded during the 2021 season.
Including an outlier performance this past season in which he logged a 7.40 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP, Cimber was highly productive in his time with the Blue Jays. Using an unorthodox arm slot, which utlizes a side-arm, submarine pitching motion, allowed him to post a 3.22 ERA, 3.92 FIP over 128.2 innings in Toronto.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, Angels ink the veteran reliever for a shot at fixing what led to his rough season, that saw his walk rate increase and his strikeout rate decrease. Cimber’s hard-hit rate jumped from 38.8% in 2022, to 47.2% in 2023.
Right-handed reliever Adam Cimber and the Los Angeles Angels are in agreement on a one-year, $1.65 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Cimber, 33, was nontendered by the Blue Jays and joins the recently signed Luis Garcia and Carlos Estevez in the Angels’ bullpen.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 6, 2023
Angels general manager Perry Minasian pairs Cimber up with Jimmy Herget, another right-hander who also throws from a non-traditional arm slot. Teams have found success in the past in forcing hitters to adapt mid-game to different looks, which, along with the cheap price tag, could be a driving force in the signing.
He utilizes a three-pitch mix, with a four-seam fastball, sinker, and slider. In 2023, Cimber’s sinker was by-far his best pitch, surrendering a .222 slugging percentage on the pitch he prioritizes versus right-handed hitters.
Cimber has severely struggled in opposite-handed matchups, allowing a 1.269 on-base plus slugging to right-handed hitters in 2023. He manager to induce just 12 strikeouts in his 20.2 innings, which was hampered by a right-shoulder injury that limited his availability over the season.
Angels sign Luis García to one-year contract
Luis García enters his 12th year in Major League Baseball, joining the Angels to slot alongside Carlos Estévez, Ben Joyce, José Soriano and Cimber.
He’ll turn 37 prior to the upcoming season, and is coming off a 2023 campaign in which he posted a 4.07 ERA, 4.29 FIP, 1.39 WHIP with a .249 batting average allowed.
Spending the past two seasons with the San Diego Padres, García became a low-leverage arm after enduring a rough stretch. After posting a strikeout rate of 26.3% in 2022, that number dropped to 19.9%.
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