Angels sign veteran reliever Al Alburquerque to 1-year deal
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) The Los Angeles Angels have signed veteran reliever Al Alburquerque to a one-year, $1.1 million contract.
The Angels confirmed the signing Friday night.
Alburquerque went 4-1 with a 4.21 ERA in a career-high 62 innings of relief for Detroit last season.
He had spent his entire five-year big-league career with the Tigers, going 17-6 with a 3.20 ERA and 276 strikeouts. Detroit elected not to tender a contract to him this winter.
The Dominican right-hander's powerful fastball has declined in recent seasons, but he still has strikeout abilities and a high swing-and-miss ratio.
Alburquerque could fill a key role for the Angels, who traded hard-throwing young reliever Trevor Gott to Washington in a deal for veteran third baseman Yunel Escobar. Gott was manager Mike Scioscia's seventh-inning specialist last season.
