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Drew Pomeranz

Mariners Re-Sign Drew Pomeranz To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners and left-hander Drew Pomeranz have reunited on a fresh minor league deal, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. He and Seattle signed a minor pact in the winter but he didn’t make the Opening Day roster and asked to be released. After presumably assessing his offers over the past few days, he has returned to the M’s on a new deal.

Pomeranz, 36, has been on the comeback trail for quite a while. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2021 due to various injuries, but he did just have a decent showing in camp. He tossed 7 2/3 innings of Cactus League action, allowing four earned runs. He gave out four walks but struck out ten opponents.

The southpaw had previously been one of the better relievers in the league. The Brewers acquired him from the Giants in 2019 and moved him from the rotation to the bullpen. He tossed 26 1/3 innings for Milwaukee after that deal with a 2.39 earned run average, 45% strikeout rate, 8% walk rate and 46.8% ground ball rate.

He hit free agency then and the Padres gave him a four-year, $34MM deal, making a large wager that he could continue that strong form. That worked well for a while. Pomeranz tossed 44 1/3 innings for the Friars over 2020 and 2021 with a 1.62 ERA, 33.7% strikeout rate, 11.4% walk rate and 45.8% ground ball rate.

But he’s been in the wilderness since then. He underwent flexor tendon surgery in August of 2021. After that, he hit various speed bumps in his attempts to get back on the mound, struggling to get back to 100% health. He pitched less than ten innings in each of the past three minor league seasons.

For the Mariners, there’s no harm in keeping him around as non-roster depth to see if things click back into place. Their two lefty relievers at the moment are Tayler Saucedo and Gabe Speier. Saucedo has an ERA of 4.00 over his 114 2/3 career innings, with Speier at 4.18 over 118 1/3. Pomeranz getting back somewhere near his peak would be a great find but perhaps a tall ask given his age and track record. But over a long season, injuries are fairly inevitable, so the Mariners may be able to use him at some point even if he’s not quite his previous elite self.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

Mariners Release Drew Pomeranz, Jesse Hahn

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The Mariners announced that right-hander Jesse Hahn and left-hander Drew Pomeranz were both released from their minor league contracts.  Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times notes that both pitchers had enough service time to request releases if they weren’t going to make the Mariners’ Opening Day roster.

Pomeranz and Hahn have a combined 18 years of MLB experience between them, but the two veterans haven’t appeared in a big league game since the 2021 season.  Hahn didn’t pitch whatsoever in 2022 or 2023 while apparently recovering from a shoulder injury, but he resurfaced to toss 50 1/3 minor league innings with the Triple-A affiliates of the Dodgers and Mariners in 2024.  Hahn’s combined 4.29 ERA and 25.1% strikeout rate were respectable enough, but he also had an outsized 17.2% walk rate.

Injuries have dominated Pomeranz’s career narrative, and a variety of health issues (most notably a flexor tendon surgery) limited him to 19 1/3 minor league innings over the last three seasons.  He did sign a Major League deal with the Giants last May but didn’t see any action at the MLB level, as he was designated for assignment and then outrighted off the 40-man within a few days of joining the team.  An All-Star starter back in 2016, Pomeranz seemed to be on the verge of re-inventing himself as an elite relief arm, leading to a four-year, $34MM deal from the Padres in the 2019-20 offseason.  Unfortunately, continued health problems kept Pomeranz from living up that salary, even though he had a 1.62 ERA over the 44 1/3 innings he was able to pitch in 2020-21.

Neither Hahn or Pomeranz posted particularly good Cactus League numbers, leaving the Mariners looking elsewhere for bullpen help.  Right-hander Casey Legumina was also optioned to Triple-A, so Carlos Vargas will break camp as the final member of Seattle’s bullpen.  Divish observes that Vargas’ out-of-options status might’ve helped the team’s decision, as Legumina has options remaining and can be more easily shuttled on and off the roster.

Mariners Sign Drew Pomeranz To Minor League Deal

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The Mariners and veteran left-hander Drew Pomeranz are in agreement on a minor league deal, as previously reported by Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. The deal presumably includes an invite to major league Spring Training.

Pomeranz, 36, is a veteran of 11 MLB seasons but hasn’t throw a pitch in the majors since 2021. The lefty was generally a solid player who swung between the back of the rotation and bullpen in the early part of his career, often garnering solid results in relief but lackluster numbers in the rotation. Across the first eight seasons of his MLB career, Pomeranz pitched to a 3.92 ERA (110 ERA+) with a 4.14 FIP in 710 innings of work split between 122 starts and 74 relief appearances. The start of the 2019 season was more of the same for Pomeranz, as he struggled in a swing role with the Giants. He posted a 5.68 ERA ERA with a 5.24 FIP in 77 2/3 innings of work.

Those lackluster numbers led San Francisco to deal the lefty to Milwaukee at that year’s trade deadline, and Milwaukee decided to move Pomeranz to the bullpen full-time, converting him into a high leverage relief arm. The lefty looked like a totally different player down the stretch in 2019, dominating to the tune of a 2.39 ERA with a 2.68 FIP with an eye-popping 45% strikeout rate. That stellar performance earned Pomeranz plenty of interest in free agency that winter, and prior to the 2020 season he signed with the Padres on a four-year deal worth $34MM that ran through the 2020-23 seasons. Pomeranz continued to dominate when healthy enough to take the mound for San Diego, with an incredible 1.62 ERA and 2.75 FIP to go with a 33.7% strikeout rate during the life of that contract.

Unfortunately for Pomeranz, however, he managed just 44 1/3 innings of work over the life of the contract due to shoulder, forearm, and elbow injuries. After not pitching in the majors during the 2022 or ’23 seasons, Pomeranz returned to the free agent market and caught on with the Angels and Dodgers on minor league deals but was unable to crack either L.A. roster. Eventually he earned a big league opportunity with the Giants in May, but lasted just a few days on the club’s roster before being designated for assignment without making an appearance. In total, he made just eight appearances at Triple-A for the Dodgers this past season, struggling to a 6.00 ERA but flashing an excellent 37.8% strikeout rate.

That big strikeout stuff clearly caught the attention of the Mariners, who have now picked him up as a no-risk flier who could still contribute to the club’s late-inning mix if he can finally get healthy enough to make it back to the majors. The Mariners have an impressive bullpen mix that includes Andres Munoz, Matt Brash, Collin Snider, and Gregory Santos but lacks a true back-end option from the left-hand side.

Giants Outright Three Players

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The Giants made a few moves before tonight’s series opener against the Yankees. San Francisco placed rookie infielder Marco Luciano on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 30, with a right hamstring strain. Casey Schmitt was recalled to take his place on the active roster.

The team also informed reporters (including Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic) that outfielder Ryan McKenna, catcher Jakson Reetz and lefty reliever Drew Pomeranz each cleared outright waivers after being designated for assignment in recent days. Pomeranz has already elected free agency; McKenna and Reetz have that right as well, though it’s not clear if they’ll do so.

Luciano came up to the MLB roster two weeks ago. With Nick Ahmed shelved by a wrist sprain, Luciano got an opportunity as the starting shortstop. He hit well, picking up nine knocks (including two doubles and a triple) in 24 at-bats. The 22-year-old struggled on the defensive side, though. He committed five errors in 60 innings, most notably a booted grounder against the Pirates on May 21 that should have been a game-ending double play. Pittsburgh eventually tied the game and prevailed in extra innings.

Brett Wisely is starting at shortstop against Marcus Stroman tonight. Wisely isn’t a natural shortstop, but he probably offers a higher offensive ceiling than Schmitt provides. The 25-year-old Wisely has hit .311/.403/.487 in Triple-A this season; he has 10 hits in 25 big league at-bats in 2024. He has been a second baseman for the majority of his professional career. Bob Melvin has given him 48 1/3 innings at shortstop this year.

Beyond the infield shakeup, the Giants got DFA resolutions on Reetz, McKenna and Pomeranz. All three players had brief stints on the MLB roster. Reetz, a 28-year-old catcher, appeared in five games with three starts behind the dish. The Giants subsequently welcomed Patrick Bailey back from the concussion list and signed Curt Casali. Reetz is fourth on the catching depth chart behind that duo and Blake Sabol, to say nothing of the injured Tom Murphy.

That pushed him off the 40-man roster one week ago — ironically, to make room for Pomeranz. The Giants signed the former All-Star to a $1MM contract after he opted out of a minor league deal with the Dodgers. Pomeranz didn’t pitch over four days and was DFA on Tuesday. While San Francisco would presumably be interested in bringing him back on a non-roster deal, he’ll head to the open market for now.

McKenna was also DFA as part of Tuesday’s roster shuffle. The 27-year-old played in four games after the Giants claimed him from the Orioles two weeks ago. A career .221/.298/.328 hitter, McKenna is a glove-first depth outfielder. He has a .261/.359/.556 batting line over 274 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.

The Giants also signed outfielder Allan Cerda to a minor league deal earlier this week (h/t to Matt Eddy of Baseball America). They assigned the 24-year-old to Double-A Richmond. Cerda was once a prospect of some regard in the Cincinnati farm system. The Reds carried him on their 40-man roster for the 2022 season, but his bat stalled at the Double-A level. He has a .188/.336/.370 line over 541 Double-A plate appearances. Cerda will hope for a breakthrough with the second organization of his career.

Giants Designate Ryan McKenna, Drew Pomeranz For Assignment

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The Giants made a series of transactions today, with Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area among those to relay them on X. Right-hander Spencer Howard and first baseman Trenton Brooks have been selected to the roster, while infielder/outfielder Tyler Fitzgerald has been recalled. In corresponding moves, first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain while outfielder Ryan McKenna and left-hander Drew Pomeranz have been designated for assignment.

Wade departed yesterday’s game, limping off the field with the club’s trainer. NBC Sports Bay Area provided video on X. The Giants later announced it as a hamstring strain and have now placed  him on the injured list. The club says it’s a Grade 2 strain and he’ll miss about a month, per Pavlovic on X.

While he’s out, it seems the club will get a look at Brooks, who makes it to the major leagues just before his 29th birthday. He spent most of his career with the Guardians, as that club drafted him in the 17th round back in 2016. He climbed as high as Triple-A in Cleveland’s system but didn’t get a roster spot by the end of 2022 and reached minor league free agency.

He then signed a minor league deal with the A’s and hit 16 home runs in 94 games while drawing walks in 13.8% of his plate appearances. Even in the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League, his stout .299/.405/.529 batting line translated to a 127 wRC+.

At that point, the A’s flipped him to the Giants for left-hander Sean Newcomb and Brooks has produced in similar fashion since then. He’s appeared in 67 more Triple-A contests since that deal and has ten homers, an 18.1% walk rate and a 15.3% strikeout rate. His .279/.409/.463 batting line in that stretch translates to a 120 wRC+.

Debuts at this late age are especially rare but Brooks clearly has some perseverance that is paying off today. If he can continue hitting major league pitching the way he has done in the minors, he will make for an especially heartwarming late-bloomer story. He has played some outfield in the past but has been strictly at first base this year. He’s in the lineup tonight in place of Wade and could perhaps get a few weeks to test his abilities against big league hurlers.

Turning to the pitching, the Giants have been getting by lately with just four starters in Logan Webb, Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison and Blake Snell. That group included Keaton Winn until he hit the injured list two weeks ago. Mason Black was recalled to cover for him but was hit hard in two starts and optioned back down.

Today’s plan appears to be a bullpen game with Howard expected to pitch bulk innings behind Erik Miller, who will serve as the opener. Howard, 27, has been in the Giants’ system since signing a minor league deal late last year. He’s made ten Triple-A starts this year, tossing 39 2/3 innings with a 5.90 earned run average.

That ERA may be misleading, both due to the fact that Howard has been pitching in the PCL and what may be some bad luck. His .406 batting average on balls in play and 66.1% strand rate this year are both on the unfortunate side of average. He’s actually struck out 32.2% of batters faced this year while keeping walks to a reasonable 9.6% rate, which is why his 4.19 FIP is kinder than his ERA.

The righty was considered one of the top pitching prospects in the sport a few years ago but has struggled in his limited looks at the big league level. He currently has 115 innings of major league work on his ledger with a 7.20 ERA. He exhausted his options as both the Phillies and the Rangers rostered him for a while and he will now need to keep his active roster spot or else be removed from the 40-man roster entirely. If this is the time where things click for him and he manages to hang onto that roster spot, he still has less than three years of service time and can be retained beyond this campaign via arbitration.

To get Brooks and Howard onto the roster, the Giants are cutting a couple of guys they only recently added. Pomeranz, 35, was signed on Friday but is now bumped off the roster without appearing in a game. That means he’s still looking to get back into official MLB action for the first time since 2021. The Giants will have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. The latter scenario would be a moot point since the lefty has more than enough service time to elect free agency.

The southpaw was once one of the better relievers in baseball but underwent flexor tendon surgery late in the 2021 campaign and struggled to get healthy in the two following years. Here in 2024, he was able to throw eight Spring Training innings with the Angels and nine frames in Triple-A in the Dodgers’ system, on minor league deals with both of those clubs. He allowed four earned runs in his first Triple-A game this year but has a 2.25 ERA in the eight innings since, striking out 48.3% of batters faced while walking just 3.4% of them.

That was apparently enough to get a roster spot, although briefly. The next week will shed some light on whether or not another club is equally interested. If so, perhaps the southpaw will indeed return to a major league mound for the first time in almost three years.

McKenna, 27, was just claimed off waivers from the Orioles ten days ago. He got into four games and stepped to the plate six times, striking out four times without getting a hit. He’s generally been a glove-first outfielder in his career, having hit .221/.298/.328 but with eight Defensive Runs Saved and six Outs Above Average in 1,287 2/3 outfield innings. He’s out of options but could appeal to other clubs as a bench outfielder.

The Giants will have a week to trade him or pass him through waivers. Since he has a previous career outright, he has the right to reject another such assignment in favor of free agency. However, with less than five years of service time, doing so would mean forfeiting his remaining salary. He is making $800K this year, slightly more than the league minimum, and may not want to walk away from that if he clears.

Giants Sign Drew Pomeranz To Major League Deal

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The Giants announced that they have signed left-hander Drew Pomeranz to a one-year deal. It was reported earlier that he had been released from his minor league deal with the Dodgers. In corresponding moves, right-hander Mason Black was optioned and catcher Jakson Reetz was designated for assignment.

Pomeranz, 35, returns to the major leagues for the first time since 2021. With the Padres at that time, he required flexor tendon surgery and repeatedly hit setbacks in his attempts to return to the mound in the following two years.

This year, he signed a minor league deal with the Angels and threw eight innings for them in Spring Training. He didn’t crack the Opening Day roster with that club, getting released and signing a new minor league deal with the Dodgers.

Since signing with the Dodgers, Pomeranz has been pitching for Triple-A Oklahoma City, with a couple of interruptions. He once opted out but then re-signed shortly thereafter. He also landed on the minor league injured list April 21 but returned from the IL a couple of weeks back.

He’s made two appearances since coming off the IL, striking out seven batters in three scoreless innings. Overall, he’s has thrown nine innings for OKC with six earned runs allowed this year, but four of those came in his first appearance of the season. In eight frames since then, he has a 2.25 earned run average, 48.3% strikeout rate and 3.4% walk rate.

That good form perhaps gives the Giants some optimism that Pomeranz can get back to the pitcher he once was. Prior to his injury woes, he spent a decent chunk of time as a lockdown reliever, a period of his career that began with the Giants. That club signed him to a one-year deal in 2019 but he had a 6.10 ERA through 17 starts. They moved him to the bullpen and he looked good enough in four relief outings that the Giants were able to trade him to the Brewers alongside Ray Black for Mauricio Dubón.

Pomeranz dominated for the Brewers and parlayed that showing into a four-year deal with the Padres going into 2020. He continued pitching well for the Friars and had a 1.91 ERA from the time of the trade to Milwaukee to the end of 2021. He struck out 37.8% of batters faced, gave out walks at a 10.2% clip and got grounders at a 46.2% rate.

As mentioned, the last two years of his deal with the Padres were lost in the injury wilderness. But he seems to have mostly been in good health this year, pitching for the Angels in the spring and for Oklahoma City since then. That sets him up for a nice comeback story and perhaps gives the Giants a chance to catch lightning in a bottle.

The Giants have won seven of their last 10 and are now just one game out of a Wild Card spot. That’s been despite a poor performance from the bullpen, as San Francisco’s relievers have a collective 4.59 ERA on the year, which puts them 25th in the league. If Pomeranz is in good form, he can help bolster that group for a playoff chase this summer. Or if the Giants should fall out of contention, perhaps Pomeranz will find himself traded away from San Francisco at the deadline for a second time.

Reetz, 28, was added to the club’s roster a few weeks back as their catching depth was suddenly thinned out. Tom Murphy suffered a significant knee sprain and Patrick Bailey was battling concussion symptoms. But the Giants later signed Curt Casali to share the catching duties with Blake Sabol, nudging Reetz back down to the minors. Bailey has since been reinstated from the concussion IL, knocking Reetz even farther down the catching chart.

The Giants will now have a week to trade Reetz or pass him through waivers. He hit .083/.083/.333 with the Giants in 12 plate appearances and only had two previous major league trips to the plate. Since the start of 2022, he’s hit .254/.356/.537 in the minor leagues. He still has a couple of options and could perhaps appeal to clubs looking for some extra catching depth.

Black being sent down will mean the Giants need another starter at some point. Blake Snell is currently on the paternity list but should be back with the club shortly. He’ll join a rotation that also consists of Logan Webb, Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison. They have guys like Kai-Wei Teng and Landen Roupp on the 40-man roster while Spencer Howard is a non-roster option with some major league experience, but they could also consider deploying a bullpen game at some point.

Dodgers Release Drew Pomeranz

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Left-hander Drew Pomeranz has been released by the Dodgers, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had opted out of a previous deal with the Dodgers in April before re-signing. Whether he triggered an opt-out this time or not is unknown, but the result is that he’ll head back to the open market.

Pomeranz, 35, has been looking to mount a comeback this year after years in the injury wilderness. He signed a minor league deals with the Angels in the offseason but was released from that pact and, as mentioned, signed two separate minor league deals with the Dodgers.

Per his transactions tracker, Pomeranz was placed on the minor league injured list on April 21, but he recently returned to the mound. He tossed a scoreless inning on May 15, striking out two of the three batters he faced. On May 18, he tossed two innings, striking out five of the seven batters he faced while allowing one hit. Dodgers Daily provided video of that outing on X.

Based on those recent results, it would appear Pomeranz is in good form. Overall, he’s tossed nine innings this year with six earned runs allowed, but four of those were in his first appearance. In the eight innings since then, he has a 2.25 earned run average, 48.3% strikeout rate and 3.4% walk rate.

The southpaw had a good run as one of the best relievers in baseball. The Brewers acquired him at the 2019 deadline and moved him to the bullpen with great results, which prompted the Padres to sign him to a four-year deal. He continued to pitch very well in the first two years with San Diego. From the time Milwaukee traded for him through the end of 2021, Pomeranz threw 70 2/3 innings with a 1.91 ERA, 37.8% strikeout rate, 10.2% walk rate and 46.2% ground ball rate.

But he finished that 2021 campaign on the IL due to flexor tendon surgery and hasn’t been back in the majors since, missing out on the final two years of his deal with the Padres. His attempts to get back on the mound frequently resulted in setbacks and he required a “cleanup surgery” on his elbow in May of last year.

This year, he’s at least been on the mound and throwing more than he has in a while. He tossed eight innings for the Angels in the spring and has thrown nine more for Triple-A Oklahoma in the past two months. Since he circled back to the Dodgers on another minor league deal after opting out last month, perhaps the two sides will reunite yet again in the coming days. But the Dodgers also have a fairly crowded bullpen, which could perhaps lead Pomeranz to consider other clubs with a more open path back to the big leagues.

Drew Pomeranz Re-Signs With Dodgers On Minor League Deal

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April 20: Just one day after opting out of his deal with the Dodgers, Pomeranz has re-signed with the club on a fresh minor league deal according to Triple-A Oklahoma City’s broadcaster and communications director Andrew Freedman. Freedman adds that Pomeranz will remain at the Triple-A level for the time being.

April 19: Left-hander Drew Pomeranz has opted out of his minor league deal with the Dodgers, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, and is now a free agent again.

Pomeranz, 35, is attempting to get back to the majors after two lost years. He signed a minor league deal with the Angels in February and was in Spring Training with that club. He tossed eight innings with five earned runs allowed, striking out six while walking three.

He was able to opt-out of that deal if he didn’t break camp with the club and the Halos released him a few days before Opening Day. He got another minor league deal, this time with the Dodgers, and has been pitching for Triple-A Oklahoma City. He has tossed five innings for that club, allowing six earned runs but striking out seven opponents while giving out just one walk.

As of a few years ago, Pomeranz was one of the better relievers in the league. The Brewers acquired him in 2019 and moved him from the rotation to the bullpen, with great results. The lefty tossed 26 1/3 innings for Milwaukee with a 2.39 earned run average, striking out 45% of batters faced.

The Padres made a bet that Pomeranz could continue performing in that manner, signing him to a four-year, $34MM deal going into 2020. That deal was working out great for the first two years, as Pomeranz made 47 appearances with a 1.62 ERA for the Friars. He walked 11.4% of batters faced but struck out 33.7%.

Unfortunately, he required flexor tendon surgery in August of 2021 and hasn’t pitched in a big league game since. Over the past two years, repeated attempts to get healthy have seen him continually hit setbacks, including a “cleanup surgery” in May of last year.

The lefty will surely get a new opportunity elsewhere in the coming days. He hasn’t been preventing runs of late but the fact that he’s healthy and striking out opponents is a good sign. Given the excellent results he posted in the past, he should be fielding plenty of calls from clubs who will dream of benefitting from a bounceback.

Dodgers Sign Drew Pomeranz To Minor League Deal

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The Dodgers have signed left-hander Drew Pomeranz to a minor league deal, per Alex Freedman, the broadcaster/communications director for Triple-A Oklahoma City. The lefty has been assigned to OKC.

Pomeranz, 35, is looking to get back to the majors after two lost seasons. He signed a minor league deal with the Angels this winter but was released at the end of camp, either because he triggered an opt-out or the club simply let him go when they decided he wasn’t going to break camp with the club. Either way, he hit the open market again and now has a new deal with the Dodgers.

The lefty had once been one of the most dominant relievers in the league. The Brewers acquired him at the 2019 deadline and moved him from the rotation to the bullpen, at which point Pomeranz fired off 26 1/3 innings with a 2.39 earned run average. He struck out a tremendous 45% of batters faced in that time, while also keeping his walk rate to 8% and getting grounders on 46.8% of balls in play.

The Padres decided to make a bet on that breakout, signing him to a four-year deal with a $34MM guarantee. For the first half of that deal, it looked like a brilliant move for the Friars. Over 2020 and 2021, Pomeranz made 47 appearances with a tiny ERA of 1.62. His 11.4% walk rate was on the high side but he punched out 33.7% of batters faced and got grounders at a 45.8% clip, racking up four saves and 22 holds.

But he required surgery for a torn flexor tendon in August of 2021 and hasn’t been back on a mound for a big league game since then. Over the intervening years, he has repeatedly hit setbacks in his attempts to get back in action. He underwent a “cleanup surgery” on his elbow in May of last year and was able to go on a rehab assignment towards the end of the season, but only tossed 5 2/3 innings on the farm before being shut down again.

In Spring Training with the Angels this year, he made nine appearances, striking out six batters while giving out three walks and allowing eight hits and five earned runs. That’s not nearly as impressive as his previous results but it’s a small sample and it’s fair to expect some rust after such a long layoff. The main thing is that he appears to be the healthiest he has been in almost three years.

The Dodgers are generally unafraid to take chances on talented pitchers trying to get over significant injuries and there’s effectively no risk on a minor deal like this. For Pomeranz, he can utilize the tools of an organization that has a strong track record for helping pitchers maximize their results, which could perhaps benefit both player and club if Pomeranz can stay on the hill and get in a nice groove.

Angels Release Drew Pomeranz

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The Angels announced that left-hander Drew Pomeranz has been released from his minor league contract with the team.  Pomeranz and Jake Marisnick were two Article XX(B) free agents who had the ability to opt out of their minor league deals on Friday if they weren’t added to the Angels’ Opening Day roster, and while Pomeranz is moving on, Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group writes that Marisnick won’t make the team but isn’t exercising his opt-out clause.

Pomeranz hasn’t pitched in a big league game since August 2021, as the southpaw underwent a flexor tendon surgery that has essentially put his career on hold.  Pomeranz has tossed only 10 1/3 minor league innings over the 2022-23 seasons due to a number of setbacks, including an unspecified “cleanup surgery” in his throwing elbow last May.  His eight innings of relief work in the Angels’ spring camp actually represents one of his longer stretches of pitching in a while, and Pomeranz posted a 5.63 ERA over those eight frames and nine appearances.

The Padres signed Pomeranz to a four-year, $34MM deal in the 2019-20 offseason, betting that his impressive results as a full-time relief pitcher late in the 2019 season with the Brewers would continue in the coming years.  Pomeranz had a 1.62 ERA over 44 1/3 innings up until the time of his flexor surgery, cutting short what seemed to be a very promising new chapter of his career as a bullpen weapon.

The four-year contract expired at the end of the 2023 campaign, putting Pomeranz back onto the open market and landing in Los Angeles on a minors contract.  Now entering his age-35 season, nobody would blame Pomeranz if he chose to call it a career in the wake of so many injury woes, though it would be equally unsurprising if he continued to seek out another minor league deal if he is finally feeling healthy for the first time in years.  Given his past pedigree, another club could well bring him into the fold on a minors contract in order to see what the left-hander still has in the tank.

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