Braves trade Perdomo to Angels for cash considerations
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Angel Perdomo's bid to begin the season in Atlanta¡¯s bullpen ended Monday night, when the Braves traded him to the Angels in exchange for cash or a player to be named.
Perdomo¡¯s early Spring Training outings created reason to question if he was still struggling to recover from the Tommy John surgery he underwent while with the Pirates near the end of the 2023 season. The 6-foot-8 hurler¡¯s fastball showed more life Friday, as he retired each of the four Nationals he faced. He tossed another scoreless inning against the Red Sox on Monday.
But after overseeing him through the long rehab process, the Braves opted to remove him from their bullpen plans entirely.
Closer Raisel Iglesias, Aaaron Bummer, Dylan Lee and Pierce Johnson are the four essential locks for the bullpen. Daysbel Hern¨¢ndez is among the other top 40-man roster candidates. Enyel De Los Santos and H¨¦ctor Neris are non-roster candidates with a strong chance to make the Opening Day roster.
Perdomo¡¯s exit increases the likelihood the Braves will begin the regular season with essentially six starting pitchers. They are scheduled to play the Padres and Dodgers during each of the regular season¡¯s first seven days, so carrying an extra starter who could serve as a long man would provide insurance.
Grant Holmes has seemingly locked up one of the two available rotation spots, while Ian Anderson¡¯s command issues have improved AJ Smith-Shawver¡¯s bid to begin the season in the rotation. Regardless of their specific roles, Smith-Shawver and Anderson could both be on the Opening Day roster.