Philly Frenzy: Phillies Land Angels Free Agent in Blockbuster Signing
Reliever Guillo Zuñiga signed with the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this month. Zuñiga saw limited action in the majors throughout the 2024 season, but was designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Angels earlier in the offseason.
The Halos designated Zuñiga for assignment when the team acquired catcher Travis d’Arnaud and the reliever was released a few days after.
In February, Zuñiga was sent to the Angels in a cash deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. The reliever made his major league debut with the Cardinals, appearing twice for the organization in 2023.
Zuñiga, 26, made 15 appearances for the Angels. He allowed 10 runs with 12 strikeouts and eight walks across 17.2 innings. Zuñiga tossed 26 innings at the Triple-A level, where he sported a 5.19 ERA with a below-average 14.3 percent strikeout rate.
This season marked an odd drop in strikeouts for Zuñiga in comparison to the rest of the reliever’s minor league career. During the 2023 season, the reliever fanned a quarter of batters faced over 29 appearances in Triple-A. His strikeout rate frequently went over 30 percent during his time in the low minors.
Zuñiga averaged 97 mph with his four-seam fastball this year and was just under 99 mph during his brief stint in the big leagues with the Cardinals in 2023.
