The Los Angeles Angels announced the acquisition of veteran right-handed Alex Cobb from the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night in a deal that could solidify the team’s initial pitch depth for 2021.
The Angels will split from young utility player Jahmai Jones as part of the deal. They will pay only a third of the $ 15 million owed to Cobb in 2021, some of which have been postponed, according to The Athletic.
Cobb, 33, settled in early with the Tampa Bay Rays, going 32-21 with an ERA of 3.19 out of 446 entries in his 20s from 2012 to 2014, then spent most of the next two years recovering from surgery by Tommy John. He compiled 331⅔ innings and an ERA of 4.23 from 2017 to 2018 and was named the initiator of the Orioles Opening Day to begin 2019, but was limited to just three matches that year and underwent hip surgery.
Cobb remained healthy for most of the 2020 shortened pandemic season, posting an ERA of 4.30 with 38 eliminations and 18 hikes in 52⅓ innings. He joins a rotation of Angels that should also include Andrew Heaney, Jose Quintana, Dylan Bundy, Griffin Canning and Shohei Ohtani, who will return to a two-way role.
All players acquired by first year general manager Perry Minasian – Cobb, Quintana, shortstop Jose Iglesias, closest Raisel Iglesias, catcher Kurt Suzuki and leftist Alex Claudio – will be free agents at the end of the season.