Free agent left-hander J.P. Howell told Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times that there are "a handful" of teams interested in signing him. The Angels may be one of those teams, and the southpaw didn't have a timeframe for a decision.
Howell, 29, pitched to a 3.04 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 50.1 relief innings for the Rays this year. He had shoulder surgery in 2010 and held left-handed hitters to a .200/.306/.306 batting line this season. Howell did not rank as one of Tim Dierkes' Top 50 Free Agents.
