The Anaheim Angels have traded for relievers Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia from the Washington Nationals, per reports. The Angels are giving up pitcher Jake Eder and first baseman Sam Brown in this deal.
The Angels’ bullpen has been problematic for much of this season, with 24 different pitchers having been part of the pen for them this year, including such luminaries as Hunter Strickland, Shaun Anderson, Ian Anderson, Carson Fulmer, Robert Stephenson, Carl Edwards Jr., and Touki Toussaint. Their
bullpen ERA of 4.96 is 27th in the majors this year — ironically, the Nationals, the team they are acquiring relievers from, has the worst bullpen ERA, at 5.63.
Garcia, 38, started the season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but was released earlier this month by them after putting up a 5+ ERA in their pen. Signed by the Nationals a few days later, Garcia has posted an 0.90 ERA in 10 innings over 10 appearances for the Washington, albeit with a .174 BABIP and a 100% strand rate. He has a FIP of 3.59 for Washington — almost identical to his 3.57 FIP with the Dodgers.
You may recall that Garcia pitched for the Rangers in 2020, allowing nine runs in 8.1 innings over 11 games. Or you may not recall that, because really, who wants to recall the Rangers’ 2020 season?
Chafin, 35, has now been traded at the deadline for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Last year, of course, he was traded by the Tigers to the Rangers. Chafin has a 2.70 ERA in 20 innings over 26 appearances for the Nats this year, with a 3.74 FIP and a 3.80 xERA.
Eder, 26, was traded by the Miami Marlins to the Chicago White Sox at the 2023 trade deadline for Jake Burger, and then purchased by the Angels from the White Sox at the beginning of the 2025 season. The lefty appeared in 8 games for the Angels this year, and has spent most of the season starting for Salt Lake City in the PCL, where he has a 6.11 ERA in 13 starts.
Brown, 23, was the Angels’ 12th round pick out of Washington State in 2023. He is repeating AA, and is slashing .244/.350/.358, which is an improvement over his .214/.298/.302 slash line at AA last year.
