Angels sign reliever Aaron Loup for 2 years, $17 million - MLB

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Left-handed reliever Aaron Loup has agreed to a $17 million, two-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

The club announced the deal for Loup, adding one of the most effective relievers on the free agent market to right-handed starter Noah Syndergaard in an impressive early-offseason haul for the perpetually pitching-poor Angels.

The 33-year-old Loup went 6-0 with a 0.95 ERA in 65 appearances last season for the New York Mets, posting the lowest ERA among all major league relievers with at least 50 innings. He held batters to a career-low .192 average and was particularly dominant against left-handed hitters, limiting them to a .167 average with only two extra-base hits.

Lowe will make $7.5 million in each of his two guaranteed seasons under the contract. The Angels also have a club option for 2024 at $7.5 million with a $2 million buyout.

Loup will be a key component of another rebuilt bullpen for the Angels. They have made pitching their top concern in general manager Perry Minasian‘s tenure.

Last week, the Angels landed Syndergaard with a $21 million, one-year deal to join their rotation alongside MVP Shohei Ohtani and young starters Patrick Sandoval and Jose Suarez.

The Angels also have said they will attempt to re-sign closer Raisel Iglesias, who has emerged as likely the top reliever on the free agent market after an outstanding sole season with Los Angeles. Iglesias declined a qualifying offer earlier this month from the Angels, but has said he would like to return.

Loup also pitched for Toronto, Philadelphia, San Diego and Tampa Bay before joining the Mets last year. He has a career 3.05 ERA.

The Angels designated left-hander Hector Yan for assignment in a corresponding move.

SEATTLE (AP) Aaron Judge homered for the third time in two games, Anthony Volpe and Greg Allen also went deep and the New York Yankees stretched their winning streak to four with a 10-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.

Judge hit a towering fly ball on the first pitch of the seventh inning from reliever Darren McCaughan that carried just enough to clear the fence in left-center field, even if it would not have been a homer at Yankee Stadium.

It was the 18th of the season for Judge, who hit a pair of homers in the series opener on Monday night.

While Judge hitting another homer will get the headlines, it was Volpe’s long ball that broke open the game. With two outs in the third inning, Seattle starter Logan Gilbert caught too much of the plate with a 1-2 slider and Volpe drove the pitch 413 feet for a three-run shot and a 6-0 lead. It was Volpe’s eighth homer of the season and snapped a 2-for-22 slide for the rookie.

Allen, filling in for injured center fielder Harrison Bader, hit his first of the season leading off the fourth inning. Isiah Kiner-Falefa also had a key two-run single in the first inning as the Yankees took advantage of an error to give starter Nestor Cortes a 3-0 advantage before he took the mound.

Kiner-Falefa had another two-run single in the ninth. New York has scored at least 10 runs in three straight games for the first time since Sept. 15-17, 2020.

Cortes (5-2) mostly cruised through five innings, allowing two runs and five hits with six strikeouts. Ty France and Teoscar Hernández had RBI doubles in the fifth inning. Judge nearly stole another hit from Hernández after robbing him of a homer on Monday, but his diving attempt at Hernández’s liner fell for a double.

Gilbert (3-3) lasted just four innings for the second time this season. The five earned runs allowed were a season-high and the four strikeouts matched a season-low.

SEE YA LATER

Seattle catcher Tom Murphy and manager Scott Servais were both ejected by plate umpire Brian Walsh in the sixth inning. Murphy was ejected after yelling toward first base umpire C.B. Bucknor following a check-swing that was called a strike. Servais argued the decision to eject Murphy and was quickly tossed by Walsh. It was the second ejection this season for Servais.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: Bader (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day IL after leaving Monday’s game in the third inning injuring his right hamstring running out an infield single. OF Franchy Cordero was recalled.

Mariners: McCaughan was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to add a long reliever to the bullpen. RHP Juan Then was optioned to Tacoma. It was Seattle’s first roster move in 24 days.

UP NEXT

Yankees: RHP Clarke Schmidt (2-5, 5.58) took the loss despite allowing only one earned run over five innings in his last start against Baltimore. Schmidt has gone at least five inning in five of his last seven starts.

Mariners: RHP George Kirby (5-4, 3.43) was knocked around for seven earned runs and four home runs allowed in his last start against Pittsburgh. Both matched career highs.

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