The Los Angeles Angels added a pair of relievers three days before their opener, agreeing to $1 million, one-year contracts with left-hander Tony Watson and side-arming, right-hander Steve Cishek on Monday night.
Watson was released from a minor league contract with Philadelphia on Friday after allowing five runs — four earned — and nine hits in five innings over seven spring training appearances. He struck out seven and walked two.
Watson, 35, is 40-25 with 32 saves and a 2.80 ERA in 10 major league seasons with Pittsburgh (2011-17), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2017) and San Francisco (2018-20). He leads active left-handers in appearances since 2011.
Cishek was released Thursday from a minor league contract with Houston after seven spring training appearances. The 35-year-old allowed three runs — on three solo homers — and seven hits in 7 2/3 innings with 12 strikeouts and two walks.
“It’s been in Ohio as early as the mid-1850s at least, brought in as an ornamental plant because of its unique foliage and white flowers,” Gardner said. “It was actually planted in people’s landscaping, and it has been spreading.”
He is 32-37 with 132 saves and a 2.78 ERA in 11 major league seasons with the Marlins (2010-15), St. Louis (2015), Seattle (2016-17), Tampa Bay (2017), the Chicago Cubs (2018-19) and the Chicago White Sox (2020).
Both took less than they would have gotten had they been added to major league rosters under their original contracts this season: Watson $3 million and Cishek $2.25 million.
Los Angeles placed right-hander Luke Bard on the 60-day injured list.