The LA Angels just aren't fans of former Toronto Blue Jays anymore. The AL West club just released another player who had previously spent time in the Blue Jays bullpen - Nick Sandlin. After an awful start to the season the 29-year-old Sandlin has been designated for assignment.
Just a few months ago, it looked like Sandlin could be playing a big role in the 2026 Blue Jays bullpen, but now it doesn't seem like Sandlin is in anyone's bullpen plans at all. The Angles just recently released former Blue Jays' closer Jordan Romano last week making that two bullpen arms they have decided they are better off without.
Sandlin was an unexpected departure from Blue Jays, that turned out to be the right call
It was just a couple of weeks after the end of the World Series when Sandlin was sent outright to Triple-A Buffalo, and removed from the Blue Jays' 40 man roster. He cleared waivers and elected free agency and eventually signed with the Angels. His story is one of those "what could have been" scenarios as he seemed like an impressive throw in, in a deal that was largely focused on second baseman Andrés Giménez.
In December of 2024, the Blue Jays pulled the trigger on a deal that brought Giménez and Sandlin to Toronto. While Giménez was the main target, Sandlin appeared to be a nice addition considering he had some very consistent years in Cleveland. Between 2021 and 2024, Sandlin was worth 1.8 bWAR out of the Guardians pen, throwing 195.1 innings over 209 games in which he racked up 223 strikeouts and a 3.27 ERA.
In 19 games with the Blue Jays in 2025, Sandlin threw 16.1 effective innings, with 16 strikeouts and allowed seven runs (four earned) and managed one save and a 2.20 ERA. But he battled injury issues throughout the year, landing on the injured list three times, and was part of a roster crunch heading into the 2025 Rule 5 Draft. With the Blue Jays needing to make room for some of the players eligible for the draft, as well as wanting to draft a player or two themselves, the Blue Jays outrighted Sandlin, leading to his departure from the team.
Sandlin signed a minor league deal with the Angels and was added to the big league roster on Apr. 12 but wasn't able to have any of his previous success in the majors. Sandlin pitched in eight games and threw 8.2 innings, striking out six, walking five, and allowing two home runs while accumulating an 11.42 ERA in giving up 11 earned runs.
It's an unfortunate turn of events for Sandlin who had showed a lot of promise with the Blue Jays but just couldn't hang on to what was making him successful. There will likely be a team out there though that looks at what he did in his short time in Toronto and his previous years in Cleveland and think they can unlock that in him again. If he clears waivers, he'll have to elect free agency and then he'll be free to sign with any team that may come calling.