Los Angeles Angels will pick up Huston Street’s option
By Aaron Somers
Huston Street flourished as the closer for the Los Angeles Angels once the team acquired him in July and the defending AL West champions will look to head into the 2015 season with him anchoring the back of their bullpen. Street’s contract contains a team option valued at $7 million and the Angels are expected to exercise it following the conclusion of the World Series.
#Angels first order of business after World Series will be to pick up the $7-million 2015 option on closer Huston Street. A no-brainer.
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) October 27, 2014
Street had gotten off to one of the best starts of his career last season with the San Diego Padres. He’d posted a 1.09 ERA and 0.758 WHIP in 33.0 IP, earning a selection to the All Star Game. With the Padres looking at yet another season out of contention and facing offseason questions surrounding the high cost of retaining their bullpen, the team elected to move him before the July trade deadline. Los Angeles parted with a quartet of minor leaguers to complete the deal – sending R.J. Alvarez, Taylor Lindsey, Elliot Morris, and Jose Rondon to San Diego for Street and Trevor Gott.
Down the stretch Street made 28 appearances for the Angels, posting a 1.71 ERA and 1.177 WHIP in 26.1 IP. He’d add three more scoreless frames in the team’s Division Series loss to the Kansas City Royals. Collectively he finished the 2014 season with a 1.37 ERA, 0.944 WHIP, and a career-high 41 saves.
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A former 1st Round pick in the 2004 Draft (#40 overall by the Oakland A’s), Street has been relatively consistent throughout his career. Over ten seasons he holds a 2.82 ERA, 1.026 WHIP, and 9.0 K/9 in 591.1 innings of work.
The Angels’ bullpen was a relative disappointment at the start of the 2014 season, leading many to expect the team to pursue a proven closer before the trade deadline in July. Street was not a name that was viewed as a likely option at first, but he appears to have been the right addition for a team that generally exceeded expectations over the course of the season. The Angels were likely focused on their pending playoff run, but knowing that Street could be retained at a relatively affordable rate for 2015 made it easier to swallow parting with four minor leaguers when the team’s system is already thin in premiere talent.