Angels Acquire Raisel Iglesias From Reds To Bolster Bullpen

Image credit: Raisel Iglesias (Joe Robbins/Getty)

New Angels general manager Perry Minasian isn’t wasting any time trying to upgrade his roster.

The Angels acquired closer Raisel Iglesias and cash from the Reds on Monday in exchange for reliever Noe Ramirez and a player to be named later. It’s the second trade in five days for the Angels after they acquired shortstop Jose Iglesias from the Orioles in Minasian’s first trade as GM.

Iglesias immediately slots in as the Angels closer. As a team, the Angels blew 14 of 26 save opportunities in 2020.

Dec. 10 Update: The Reds have acquired minor league infielder Leonardo Rivas as the player to be named later. 

ANGELS ACQUIRE

Raisel Iglesias, RHP
Age: 30

Iglesias has quietly been one of baseball’s top late-game relievers since he signed with the Reds out of Cuba and has a 2.85 ERA with 106 saves over the last five seasons. He misses bats (career 10.5 K/9), limits walks (career 2.9 BB/9) and has a clean injury history. Basically, he’s everything the Angels have desperately needed in a closer. Iglesias is signed for one more year and will be a free agent after the 2021 season.

REDS ACQUIRE:

Noe Ramirez, RHP
Age: 30

A fourth-round pick of the Red Sox in 2011, Ramirez was claimed off of waivers by the Angels in 2017 and evolved into a useful reliever who could give the team some length. Ramirez is primarily a low-leverage reliever and doesn’t offer the stuff needed for a high leverage role, but he’s decently effective and should slide into the middle of the Reds bullpen. He is under team control for three more seasons and will not be a free agent until after 2023. 

Leonardo Rivas, SS/2B/CF
Age: 23

Rivas signed with the Angels for $40,000 in 2014 and has moved slowly up the minors. He spent most of 2019 at high Class A Inland Empire and hit .236/.328/.377 in 73 games. Rivas is a skinny, undersized switch-hitter with good strike-zone discipline and the ability to play multiple positions. He lacks the strength to hit the ball hard but works counts, gets on base and has a decent swing from both sides of the plate. Rivas has solid range and hands at shortstop but lacks the arm strength to play there more than as a stand-in. He has good instincts and runs well enough to handle center field in addition to second base. Rivas has a chance to climb as a multi-positional utilityman, but he’s going to have to get stronger.