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Los Angeles Angels: Adding Craig Kimbrel would create a scary pen

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Closing pitcher Craig Kimbrel #46 of the Boston Red Sox pitches in the ninth inning in Game Four of the 2018 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Closing pitcher Craig Kimbrel #46 of the Boston Red Sox pitches in the ninth inning in Game Four of the 2018 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Angels have the longest active win streak in the MLB, which is partly because of a bullpen that has been relatively lights out.

The Los Angeles Angels had the worst start in the Majors in 2019 with a 1-6 record through seven games. While it was way too early to panic, the Angels the fans anything to really get excited about.

However, the team has responded from that poor start with a six-game winning streak, which is tied for the longest active winning streak in the MLB.

While the first series was against the Texas Rangers, a not-so-great team, the Angels then swept the National League’s runners up last year, the Milwaukee Brewers.

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A big reason for that sweep and for the win streak as a whole has been the work of the bullpen. It has not been perfect, but it held onto leads against a solid team that not many teams would be able to hold.

The Angels’ pen threw a combined 12.2 innings against the Brewers, allowing just three runs in the process. Two of those runs were off of Luke Bard, who is not one of the Angels’ better arms, with the other run coming off of Jamie Barria, who pitched in a similar situation as Bard having to come in during the fifth inning.

Aside from that, the bullpen was lights out in the closing innings. Cam Bedrosian, Luis Garcia, Hansel Robles and Cody Allen have been effective seventh-ninth inning guys with a combined 1.85 ERA between the four.

It is still too early to expect the backend of the Angels’ bullpen to pitch this way all year but it is comforting knowing that the backend is probably going to be much more consistent that it was a year ago.

The Los Angeles Angels can lock in a solid backend of the bullpen by taking the bait on a big-name remaining free agent, Craig Kimbrel.

Kimbrel has obviously not gotten the offers that he was looking for and is probably at the point of looking for a decent one-year deal.

The Angels, who have over $20 million in room under the luxury tax, have exclusively been signing one-year deals. This kind of fit would be perfect: Kimbrel does not have to commit long-term but can play a huge roll in a bullpen that is turning the corner to increase his value as well.

This would give the Angels the kind of bullpen flexibility that contending teams usually have. While both Kimbrel and Allen are closers, the team can designate one of the two to be the sixth-seventh inning shutdown guy; the role that Andrew Miller thrived in.

Having one of those two available to come in at any time is huge, especially in the postseason. Killing a sixth-inning rally can turn the tide of the entire game and that is why that role has become so effective.

Kimbrel opens that door for the Angels. While the bullpen has been good so far, you cannot really expect this kind of production for an entire season.

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However, if the team signs Kimbrel, Angel fans could legitimately make the case that the team has a top three bullpen in the American League. Why not take that risk?

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