Angels Acquire Matt Andriese From D-backs For Pitching Prospect

Image credit: Matt Andriese (Getty Images)

After signing Julio Teheran, trading for Dylan Bundy, claiming Mike Mayers off waivers and acquiring Kyle Keller already this offseason, the Angels further fortified their pitching staff on Tuesday.

The Angels acquired righthander Matt Andriese from the Diamondbacks, sending prospect righthander Jeremy Beasley to Arizona in return.

Andriese, a Southern California native, returns to his home region. The Angels will be his third team in as many seasons.

D-backs acquire:

Jeremy Beasley, RHP
Age: 24

Beasley was set to rank as the Angels No. 28 prospect in the upcoming Prospect Handbook. A 30th-round pick from Clemson in 2017, Beasley quickly emerged as a draft steal on the strength of his plus splitter. He went 7-7, 4.49 with 115 strikeouts and 48 walks in 122.1 innings between Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Salt Lake last year. Beasley is an intense, aggressive pitcher who goes right after hitters and gets fired up on the mound. His fastball sits at 93-95 mph, and his splitter is an out-pitch he can dominate with. His fringe-average slider and below-average command have most evaluators projecting him in the bullpen, where his fastball-splitter combination projects to play up and make him a potential high-leverage option.

Angels acquire:

Matt Andriese, RHP
Age: 30

Andriese grew up in Redlands, Calif., about 50 miles northeast of Anaheim, and went to college at UC Riverside, about 40 miles from Angel Stadium. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound righthander began his career primarily as a starter, but he pitched exclusively out of the bullpen for the D-backs last season and went 5-5, 4.71 with 79 strikeouts and 27 walks in 70.2 innings. Andriese is a versatile pitcher who can fill a variety of roles. His average fastball plays up with an above-average spin rate, and he generates above-average spin on his curveball and induces swings and misses with his changeup. Andriese lacks huge stuff and gets punished when he makes a mistake, but he generally avoids barrels and limits hard contact. Andriese will come to camp as a starter, according to Angels general manager Billy Eppler, and will serve as valuable rotation depth with a fallback as a swingman or long reliever.