Angels Sign Veteran Catcher

The Los Angeles Angels still have not made a big splash in the free agent pool since business re-opened, but today they made a tiny sprinkle at least, signing veteran catcher Austin Romine to a minor league contract, with an invite to major league camp.

The 33-year-old spent eight years as a backup with the New York Yankees, before moving on to the Detroit Tigers as a free agent in 2020, and then the Chicago Cubs last season. However, knee and wrist injuries significantly derailed his 2021, limiting him to 60 at-bats. 

Romine has a career .238 average with a .635 OPS. But he provides some solid defense behind the plate, and will serve as a safety net behind the Angels' main catchers Max Stassi and Kurt Suzuki. 

And while they have plenty of depth at catcher, improving the roster of arms that will be throwing to those catchers is still a key need to address before the season; the Angels brought in Noah Syndergaard on a one-year, $21M contract before the lockout, and made a minor deal to bring in Michael Lorenzen, but more is needed in the rotation. 

Photo Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports