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The Angels have signed Matt Lindstrom to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. The Right Handed Pitcher turned 35 years old last week and would be the perfect seventh inning man for the Halo bullpen if... well there are a few if's here with Lindstrom.
The Idaho native is recovering from ankle surgery. When he came back from it last year, he showed the world that he wasn't really back. IF he wasn't really back from surgery then this could be the best relief signing of the offseason for Jerry Dipoto. Lindstrom has recorded an ERA+ of over 150 for three years running (2010-2012), and a 135 ERA+ in 2013.
So IF he is past the recovery of ankle surgery it would appear that the heights of yore can be attained yet again IF Lindstrom is not also just declining due to age.
From 2007-13 he had a 7.2 K/9 and his fastball hit 96 regularly. The Halos only have Cam Bedrosian as a hard throwing reliever of that caliber and we saw how shaky he was in prime time in his debut season. While Lindstrom's Fastball did dip to a ceiling of 93 last season, again, the lousy year he had with the White Sox would portend that 2014 was an injury-abcessed anomaly and that even a good, not great, Lindstrom season in 2015 would give the Halos some hard heat leading into the final third of the game.
Did the bullpen just get better?