Former Padres free agent bust looking to revive career after signing with Angels

While the San Diego Padres have had some good luck in free agency overall, the fact is that no team is perfect when it comes to getting value for the guys they sign.

This is particularly true when it comes to pitchers. Not only do you have to worry about a player regressing, but there's also a heightened risk of injuries when it comes to arms. At the end of the day, the laws of physics and pitchers' bodies often don't get along.

One clear case of this was Drew Pomeranz. Pomeranz was coming off a successful stint with the Brewers in 2019 where he posted a 2.39 ERA in 25 appearances when the Padres decided to ink him to a four-year deal worth $34 million before the 2020 season. The first couple seasons of his second run with San Diego even went pretty well as he combined to put up a 1.62 ERA in 47 appearances in 2020 and 2021.

Unfortunately, that is where the good news stopped. Late in the 2021 season, the injury bug bit Pomeranz and he had to have season-ending surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon. He would end up not pitching in the big leagues for the Padres again as he had to have an additional follow-up surgery and then suffered a setback while rehabbing in 2023 that prevented his return to the bigs last season.

Now, Pomeranz has landed with a new team after he signed a minor-league deal with the Angels earlier this week.

Drew Pomeranz attempting comeback with the Angels after disappointing Padres tenure

Honestly, fans should wish nothing but the best for Pomeranz as his battle with injuries was pretty clearly not his fault. Arms can be tricky to heal properly and unfortunately for him, Pomeranz just hasn't been able to get healthy the last couple of years. Hopefully he lands on his feet with the Angels and shoves.

When healthy, Pomeranz is a very valuable reliever who misses bats and is tough to put the barrel on. While he has had his issues with walks in the past and we don't know what he will look like when he's on the mound after his injuries, the Angels seem to have made a smart bet to try and see if Pomeranz can finally get back to what he once was.

As for the Padres, they just have to chalk this up to crummy luck. Any time you sign a pitcher to a lengthy deal, it carries a lot of risk which is why you are seeing more and more teams try to sign arms to short-term contracts at higher AAVs. At the very least, the Padres got a couple good campaigns out of him before the injuries set in, although that's probably little consolation because Pomeranz ended up making $34 million for 44.1 innings of work.

More Padres News from Friars on Base