Angels add veteran lefty Suter on 1-year deal (report)

ANAHEIM -- The Angels are set to add another experienced arm to their bullpen, as they reportedly agreed to sign veteran lefty Brent Suter to a Major League deal on Thursday, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.

The Angels, however, have yet to make an announcement. The club’s 40-man roster is currently full, so they’d have to clear a spot for Suter before it becomes official.

Suter, 36, posted a 4.52 ERA with 53 strikeouts and 18 walks in 67 2/3 innings with the Reds last year and has a career 3.57 ERA in parts of 10 seasons in the Majors with the Brewers, Rockies and Reds.

But Suter gives the Angels a much-needed lefty reliever, as he joins fellow veteran southpaw Drew Pomeranz in the bullpen. The Angels also signed former closers Kirby Yates and Jordan Romano to one-year deals while trading for Yankees lefty Jayvien Sandridge and claiming right-hander Kaleb Ort on waivers from the Yankees.

The club’s top two internal options from last season are Robert Stephenson and Ben Joyce, but they combined for just 14 1/3 innings in 2025 due to injury. Stephenson saw his season end with right elbow inflammation after coming off Tommy John surgery but is healthy and ready for Spring Training. Joyce, however, is expected to miss some time after undergoing shoulder surgery last May.

Other internal options for the bullpen include Chase Silseth (who is out of Minor League options), José Fermin, Ryan Zeferjahn and Sam Bachman. The Angels also signed veterans Miguel Castro, Angel Perdomo, Nick Sandlin, Huascar Ynoa and Tayler Saucedo to Minor League deals. But they lost a potential option on Thursday, as right-hander Osvaldo Bido was claimed off waivers by the Yankees. And they are still hopeful they’ll retain right-hander Cody Laweryson after he was designated for assignment on Monday.

Suter is a soft-tossing lefty, as his fastball averaged 87.9 mph last year. But he limits hard contact, as his average exit velocity against was 85.8 mph, which ranked in the 99th percentile per Statcast. His walk rate also ranked in the 82nd percentile, which is big for an Angels team that struggled with issuing free passes a year ago.

A former starter, Suter also has the ability to pitch multiple innings and made three spot starts last year, allowing two runs in eight innings. Lefties slashed .243/.282/.387 against him compared to a .266/.324/.449 line for right-handers. But historically, he hasn’t had huge splits, as he's held righties to a .707 OPS in his career and lefties to a similar .701 OPS.