Angels acquire pitcher Aaron Slegers from Rays

The Angels made a slight change to the composition of their bullpen on Monday night, acquiring right-handed pitcher Aaron Slegers from the Rays for a player to be named later or cash.

To make room for Slegers on the 40-man roster, the Angels designated Dillon Peters for assignment. In addition to dispatching a left-handed pitcher in exchange for a right-hander, the Angels gained some roster flexibility. While Peters is out of options, Slegers has one option year remaining, having used options in 2018 and 2019.

Slegers had a 3.46 ERA and 3.04 FIP in 26 innings, with 19 strikeouts and five walks for Tampa Bay in 2020. He had a career-high 54.1-percent ground ball rate last year, after 42.2 percent over 32 innings in his first three seasons combined with the Rays and Twins.

During the Rays postseason run last year, Slegers pitched in three games in the ALDS and ALCS, posting a 1.80 ERA in five innings.

Slegers mostly throws a sinker, slider, and four-seam fastball, throwing the sinker 39 percent of the time in 2020, holding batters to a .135 batting average with no extra-base hits in at-bats that ended with that pitch.

The right-hander was in the top 10 percent in MLB in hard hit percentage allowed (28 percent), barrel percentage (2.7 percent; only two barrels in 75 batted balls), and expected wOBA (.210, based on batted ball data).

Originally from Long Beach, Slegers was drafted by the Twins in the fifth round in 2013 out of Indiana University. He has one year, 86 days of major league service time.

Peters only appeared in one game for the Angels in 2020, allowing four runs (three earned) while recording five outs in a spot start in the second game of a doubleheader on September 5. Peters in two seasons with the Angels has a 5.62 ERA and 6.46 FIP in 18 games, including 13 starts, with 57 strikeouts and 26 walks in 73⅔ innings.