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Alex cobb made his last start of the season this afternoon, allowing five runs in as many innings in a loss to the Rangers. It’s possible this will be his last outing in an Los Angeles uniform, as Cobb is set to hit free agency this winter. After the release, the right-hander expressed a desire to stay in Anaheim beyond this year.
Cobb told reporters (including Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times) that while there has not yet been a discussion between the club and its representatives at Beverley Hills Sports Council, he believes both sides are willing to extend their relationship. “We both understood that there is mutual respect there and a mutual desire to reunite next year.“Cobb said.”We haven’t had those discussions yet, but it’s obviously something I would be very happy to do.“
Mutual interest in a meeting doesn’t guarantee anything gets done, of course, but it’s the first step in any potential expansion nonetheless. It’s not particularly surprising that the Angels are keen to keep Cobb in the fold, as he had a quietly solid first season in Anaheim (despite starting today).
The Angels drew criticism in the last offseason when they traded a single prospect Jahmai jones to disembark Cobb from the Orioles. General manager Perry Minasian and his staff were recognized for their confidence in the veteran pitcher, as he worked a 3.76 ERA in 93 1/3 innings this season. A pair of relays on the injured list (one from a blister, the other from an inflammation of the wrist) limited Cobb to nineteen starts, but he posted generally strong results when ‘he was in good health.
Cobb backed up their ERA below 4.00 with quality peripherals. He beat 24.9% of career opponents while handing out free passes at a rate of just 8.4%. Still one of the best pitchers in the game to keep the ball on the ground, he’s racked up Grounders at a rate of 53.8%, more than ten percentage points above the league average. Cobb’s 3.78 SIERA (prior to today’s start) is a perfect match for his actual run prevention figure.
At almost 34 years old, Cobb seems to have a real record to land a multi-year contract this winter. It didn’t seem particularly likely just a few months ago, as the first three years of his free agent deal with the Orioles didn’t go well. Between 2018-20, he pitched 217 5.10 ERA / 5.22 FIP innings in Baltimore. Cobb candidly admitted in his interview with reporters today that he once feared these difficulties would soon limit his chances of continuing to play, but he reversed that scenario with a strong performance in Anaheim.
Potential suitors – Angels included – will need to determine precisely how much to buy into Cobb’s renewed success. His repertoire was not very different from that of the last seasons. Cobb continued to rely on his lead (40%), lunge (37%) and curveball (16%) while occasionally mixing up a four-seam fastball, as he did in Baltimore. His pitch speed, rotation and movement haven’t changed much. But Cobb excelled at avoiding the heart of the plate and getting opposing hitters to chase the pitches out of the strike zone, leading to a personal best 11.6% hit rate.
Cobb certainly enjoyed some luck in the home run department. Even after spitting out two long balls against Texas today, his HR / 9 rating throughout the season ends at just 0.48. Teams might not expect Cobb to be successful in getting the ball forward into the court, but he executed the throws consistently enough overall to put on a quality rebounding season.
As is generally the case, the Angels should be targeting rotational assistance during the offseason. Shohei Ohtani will continue to play in its two-way role, and Patrick Sandoval secured a spot in next season’s squad before suffering a season-ending back injury. José Suárez will probably keep one spot as well, but Cobb’s departure would leave at least two more spots in the rotation to be settled. Griffin canning remains at hand, and top prospect Reid detmers should have another chance at some point in the year. But injuries and / or underperformance often force teams to rely on seven or eight starters over the course of a season. Adding veteran certainty to this group, whether it’s Cobb or external upgrades, is once again a priority for Minasian and its staff.
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