Halos bring back Ramos on Minors deal with invite to camp (source)

The Angels are back to adding pitching depth, as the club agreed to a Minor League contract with right-hander AJ Ramos on Friday, a source told MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi. The team has not confirmed the deal, which includes an invitation to big league Spring Training.

Ramos signed a Minor League deal with the Halos last March, then posted a 5.26 ERA over 42 relief appearances for Triple-A Salt Lake. He was called up by the Angels late in the season, tossing 4 2/3 scoreless innings over four games from Sept. 24-Oct. 3.

The 35-year-old Ramos spent his first six big league seasons with the Marlins, earning an All-Star selection in 2016, when he recorded a 2.81 ERA in 67 appearances. He was sent to the Mets at the Trade Deadline in ’17, then spent the ’18 season with New York.

Ramos didn’t pitch in 2019, after undergoing right shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum the year before. He then made three appearances for the Rockies during the pandemic-shortened ’20 season.

This was the first move made by the Angels after MLB and the MLB Players Association agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement on Thursday.

Earlier this offseason, the Halos fortified their bullpen by re-signing closer Raisel Iglesias on a four-year, $58 million deal and signing left-hander Aaron Loup to a two-year, $17 million contract. The club could continue to add arms to its relief corps prior to the start of the 2022 season.

Angels announce 14 non-roster invitees
On Friday, the Angels invited the following non-roster players to Spring Training: pitchers Kyle Barraclough, Davis Daniel, Luis Ledo, Brian Moran, Daniel Ponce de Leon and Zack Weiss; catchers Zach Humphreys, Kyle Lovelace, Anthony Mulrine and Chad Wallach; infielder Michael Stefanic; outfielders Magneuris Sierra and Dillon Thomas; and infielder/outfielder Jake Gatewood.

Ponce de Leon, 30, signed a Minor League deal with the Halos in January. He pitched to a 4.33 ERA in 57 games (22 starts) over the past four seasons with the Cardinals.

Daniel is Los Angeles’ No. 21-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline. The 24-year-old right-hander was selected in the seventh round of the 2019 MLB Draft and pitched at three levels in ’21, including Triple-A.

The mandatory report date for players to show up to Spring Training is Sunday. The Angels will play their first Cactus League game of the revised schedule on March 18, when they’ll face the A’s at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz.