Angels reunite with former Giants, Nationals World Series champion righty originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Veteran reliever Hunter Strickland will return to the Los Angeles Angels on a minor league contract, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported Monday on X. The 18th round draft pick in 2007 threw 22 innings for Los Angeles in 2025 but missed the rest of the season following a shoulder injury in July.
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Strickland, 37, spent parts of the previous two seasons with the AL West club in what’s been an up-and-down career. The right-hander made his debut with the 2014 World Series champion San Francisco Giants and became a key member of their bullpen the next four seasons.
He won a second championship with the Washington Nationals in 2019, as a midseason acquisition from the Seattle Mariners. Strickland has made appearances for five different clubs since then, mainly the Angels.
Angels add Strickland as depth
Although he will enter camp with an outside chance to make the Opening Day roster, Strickland’s recent history with the Angels could indicate they’ll give him plenty of opportunities during spring training.
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Just two seasons ago in Anaheim, Strickland posted a respectable 3.31 ERA in a career high 73.1 innings. The Angels hope for similar results, including the .172 batting average against his fastball last year.
In 2017, Strickland, while pitching for the Giants, nailed ex-Washington Nationals slugger Bryce Harper with a 98 mph fastball. Harper charged the mound in an unforgettable benches-clearing brawl.
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