The Angels acquired veteran relievers Luis Garcia and Andrew Chafin from the Washington Nationals in exchange for two lightly regarded minor-leaguers Wednesday, the day before the trade deadline.
The Angels announced the deal after it was reported by multiple outlets.
The Angels (53-55) are in a precarious position on the fringes of the playoff race. They are four games out of the third American League wild-card spot, with four teams to leapfrog. According to FanGraphs, they have a 5.3% chance of making the playoffs.
It remains to be seen how the Angels will approach other moves between now and the deadline, which is 3 p.m. PT Thursday. Perhaps they will buy more aggressively to try to end their 10-season playoff drought.
Perhaps they will make similar minor additions while holding on to their other key players. Or perhaps the relievers they just acquired are intended to give them the short-term depth to remain competitive after trading the valuable assets in their bullpen, like Kenley Jansen and Reid Detmers.
For now, the cost they paid to get Garcia and Chafin is minimal. The Angels sent left-hander Jake Eder and first baseman Sam Brown to the Nationals.
Eder, 26, was formerly a top 100 prospect, but his stock has dropped. The Chicago White Sox designated him for assignment earlier this season, and the Angels picked him up. He has a 6.11 ERA this season at Triple-A. He’s appeared in eight big-league games with the Angels, posting a 4.91 ERA. Baseball America still ranks him as the Angels’ 24th best prospect.
Brown, 23, was the Angels’ 12th-round pick in 2023. He has a .244 average and a .704 OPS in his second consecutive season at Double-A. He is not listed among the Angels’ top 30 prospects, according to Baseball America. Brown is blocked by Nolan Schanuel, who is younger than him.
Garcia and Chafin provide some depth and experience to the big league bullpen.
Garcia, 38, began last season with the Angels. Thee right-hander was traded to the Boston Red Sox at the deadline last year, a deal that netted the Angels Ryan Zeferjahn and three other minor-leaguers. He began this season with the Dodgers, who let him go. Between the Dodgers and Nationals, Garcia has a 4.10 ERA in 37⅓ innings. He’s allowed one run in 10 innings with the Nationals.
Chafin, 35, has a 2.70 ERA with the Nationals. The left-hander was in spring training with the Detroit Tigers, who released him. The Nationals signed him in May. He’s been on the injured list twice this season with Washington.
The Angels designated left-hander José Quijada for assignment, which opens one 40-man roster spot for the new acquisition. Eder vacated another spot.
The Angels still need to make one move with the active 26-man roster, but they don’t need to do that until the new pitchers report. It’s unclear at this point if the Angels will have someone else in the bullpen to take Quijada’s spot for Wednesday night’s game.