For the second time in the still short off-season, the Los Angeles Angels have taken a free agent gamble on a struggling starting pitcher.
The team announced that they’ve come to terms with left-handed starting pitcher Wade LeBlanc on a Minor League (non-guaranteed) deal, and LeBlanc will have the opportunity to win a job in Spring Training. Previously, the Angels took a similar flyer on righty Chris Volstad, and the team appears to be somewhat desperate to acquire starting pitching assets in light of the disastrous 2013 campaign from that portion of their roster.
In 2013, the 29-year-old lefty pitched just 55 innings (7 starts) between the Marlins and Astros, and he posted a subpar 5.40 ERA for his troubles. No one would mistake LeBlanc as an “upside” guy (thanks to his career strikeout rate of 6.06 K/9), but he’s completed 417 big league innings with an ERA under 5.00, and that could be valuable for a pitching-starved franchise.
With a gun to my head, I’d probably rather have LeBlanc as a “safety valve” option than the notoriously combustible Volstad, but if I’m an Angels fan, I don’t want either pitcher in my 2014 rotation.
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