Maddon: Rebuilt 'pen key to ending playoff drought

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- After the Angels missed the postseason for the seventh straight year in 2021, manager Joe Maddon made it clear that the club needed an infusion of pitching.

The Angels addressed the rotation early in the offseason, signing Noah Syndergaard and Michael Lorenzen to one-year deals, but it was the bullpen that general manager Perry Minasian really improved. Los Angeles spent $92.75 million on relievers Raisel Iglesias (four years, $58 million), Aaron Loup (two years, $17 million), Ryan Tepera (two years, $14 million) and Archie Bradley (one year, $3.75 million) to fortify the bullpen and make it a major strength.

Maddon now believes the Angels have the pitching to make the postseason for the first time since 2014.

“I think the bullpen is that much better,” Maddon said. “You can’t make it to the dance and you can’t succeed here without a good bullpen. Even the guys who don’t make it out of camp will supply depth.”

Maddon said he sees similarities to the 2002 World Series champion Angels, who relied heavily on their bullpen to augment their starting pitching. Los Angeles' relievers that year -- led by Troy Percival, Ben Weber, Brendan Donnelly, Lou Pote, Scot Shields and, later, Francisco Rodriguez -- posted a 2.98 ERA in 444 2/3 innings, compared to a 4.00 ERA in 1,007 2/3 innings by the starting pitchers.

Maddon, who was the Angels' bench coach in 2002, thinks that having a shutdown bullpen can be part of a winning formula, especially if the offense produces and benefits from healthy seasons by stars such as Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon and Jared Walsh. And it also helps protect the club’s starting pitchers early in the season after the shortened Spring Training.

“I think this really helps us work the game from the back, which is a really interesting way to work the game,” Maddon said. “You’re probably not going to want to push young pitchers early, so the more depth you have at the back of your bullpen, you can shorten the game up and feel good about the latter part of the season with the starters. It's all interconnected.”

Aside from retaining and bringing in veterans such as Iglesias, Tepera, Loup and Bradley, the Angels have several solid internal options. Mike Mayers is coming off a strong season in which he posted a 2.78 ERA in the second half after getting a better feel for his pitch mix and for when to incorporate his cutter. Austin Warren had a breakout rookie year that saw him post a 1.77 ERA in 20 1/3 innings. Lefty José Quijada finished the year strong and registered a 4.56 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings.

Those seven are essentially locks, leaving the Angels to decide what to do with the last two or three spots, depending on whether they want to open the season with nine or 10 relievers. Jaime Barría, who is out of options, would also open the year in the bullpen if he doesn’t claim the sixth starter role over Reid Detmers, Los Angeles' top prospect per MLB Pipeline.

Jose Marte has turned heads with a strong spring and could make the roster, while Andrew Wantz is also under consideration, especially if Barría is in the rotation. Jimmy Herget and Oliver Ortega are also on the 40-man roster and in the mix, while non-roster invitees Kyle Barraclough and Brian Moran have had strong springs.

That gives the Angels more bullpen depth than they’ve had in several years. Maddon likes the fact that he has so many relievers he believes are capable of pitching in high-leverage situations.

“These are even-or-ahead guys that you can count on when you’re even or ahead, and the more of those you have in the bullpen, the better off you are,” Maddon said. “It creates even more depth, because those guys who will be pushed to the Minor Leagues, they’ll continue the process of becoming solid Major League relievers. And then you just keep getting better, because guys are going to get hurt and you’re going to need people. It makes us better in the present and the future.”