Dillon Tate just gave Kurt Suzuki another bullpen option, and the Angels are taking a low-risk look at a reliever who still has some swing-and-miss in his arm.
The Angels signed Tate to a minor league deal on Thursday, adding a former first-round pick who had been sitting in free agency after his run with Toronto ended.
That kind of move fits where Los Angeles sits right now. The Angels are 34-48, so this is less about a headline splash and more about finding any arm that can help stabilize innings.
Tate is not arriving as a mystery project. He has appeared in 196 big league games over his career, which gives Suzuki a reliever with real major league mileage instead of just another untested depth arm.
There is still a Toronto angle here, too. Tate signed with the Blue Jays before the 2025 season, got to the majors for 6 games, then drifted back out of the picture and eventually into free agency.
His 2025 big league sample with Toronto was small but usable. Tate allowed 3 earned runs in 6.1 innings and struck out 8, which is enough to keep another club interested in a rebound look.
That is probably what the Angels are betting on now. This is a team still searching for bullpen answers, and minor league deals are where those clubs often hunt first.
Why Dillon Tate still makes some sense
The larger career line is better than the recent label. Tate owns a 4.09 ERA across 222.0 MLB innings, and relievers with that kind of background usually keep getting chances when roster need opens up.
He also has a proven stretch worth remembering. With Baltimore in 2022, Tate posted a 3.05 ERA and showed the kind of strike-throwing profile that made him look like a real leverage option.
That does not mean the Angels found a lock for the late innings. It means they found a depth arm with enough track record to matter if he throws well at Triple-A Salt Lake.
For Suzuki, that is the real appeal. He does not need Tate to walk in and fix the whole bullpen. He needs another experienced arm who can force his way into the conversation.
And for Tate, this is a clean reset. He goes from being a forgotten former Blue Jays reliever to a pitcher with an open lane in an Angels organization still trying to sort out what works.
That is why this signing has some bite, even on a minor league deal. Tate is not joining a finished bullpen. He is joining a club that still has room for somebody to grab a role.
Should the Angels give Dillon Tate a real bullpen shot soon?
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