It’s been a busy week for the Los Angeles Angels, who have been clearing space on the 40-man roster left and right.
On Wednesday, the Angels outrighted four players off the 40-man roster after they cleared waivers, including right-handed pitcher Connor Brogdon. And though his official roster page did not reflect the transaction until Thursday, Brogdon officially elected free agency on Wednesday as well.
This makes Brogdon immediately eligible to sign with any of the 30 Major League Baseball teams on either a major or minor league contract.
Once a 10th-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2017 draft, Brogdon has beaten the odds to this point, pitching six seasons in the big leagues for the Phillies, Angels, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
With Philadelphia in 2021 and 2022, he was an above-average reliever with a mid-threes ERA, even pitching seven times during the team’s run to the World Series in the latter season. Then, he struggled in 2023 and got optioned to Triple-A, setting him up for a journeyman arc.
Last season, Brogdon pitched three times early in the season for the Phillies, got designated for assignment and subsequently traded to the Dodgers, and only made one major league appearance in the LA organization before electing free agency at the end of the year.
He didn’t fare much better as an Angel, though he got a lot more opportunity at the big-league level. In 47 appearances this year, he pitched to a 5.55 ERA, giving up 11 home runs in 47 innings of work. As he was entering his age-31 season with no minor-league options, the Angels decided his roster spot would best be allocated elsewhere.
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