Angels add to bullpen mix by signing Al Alburquerque to major league deal

In the still of the night, the Angels made a move to shore up the bullpen a bit in an off-season that's seen them send away Trevor Gott, but give Fernando Salas more money. Hey whatever floats your boat. Jon Heyman was first on the scoop:

AL Albuquerque has an agreement for an MLB deal with angels. Pending physical.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 15, 2016

Al Alburquerque, besides having an awesome name, has found himself non-tendered by the Pirates recently after having spent the previous five seasons all with the Detroit Tigers. His stats as a whole in Detroit aren't bad at all, but they have been on the rise as of last season, which puts him on the hot seat looking for a job. (3.20 ERA in his time in Detroit, but 4.21 ERA in 2015)

If all works out, it'll be interesting to see where he fits in with the current bullpen of Huston Street, Joe Smith, etc. He has a great ability to strike guys out...but he also has an affinity for walking guys, as well. This could prove to be good enough to have the 7th inning Man job locked down, barring a horrible Spring. Trevor Gott, while an appealing young fireballer, had his share of those problems himself, yet Mike Scioscia had no qualms using him to build a bridge to Street & Smith. I can see him going the same route with Alburquerque.

#HotStove