Mark Mulder offered an opportunity that was too good for Jerry Dipoto to pass up.
The Angels watched the former All-Star throw three times over the past two months, and the stuff he showed demonstrated to the Angels general manager that he ought to give Mulder a shot at a comeback.
“I don’t know how many lefties are out there in November bumping 92 mph and throwing three pitches and commanding side to side, which is what Mark Mulder has been doing,” Dipoto said Monday night. “I don’t know why that would be the high side, so I’m very intrigued. I believe in his competitive spirit and I believe in what’s coming out of his hand now. It’s a matter of seeing if he can translate it to game speed.”
The Angels agreed to a minor league deal with Mulder last week, but Dipoto had not spoken publicly about it because the deal wasn’t yet official. Mulder, 36, who has not pitched in the majors since 2008, is guaranteed nothing, but he will make a $1 million base salary if he cracks the Angels opening day roster. If he stays on the active roster and in the rotation all year, he can make up to $6 million.
Dipoto said the Angels aren’t planning on having Mulder pitch out of the bullpen.
“I wouldn’t rule out him ending up in the bullpen, but it’s not our intent nor is it his,” Dipoto said. “He has the pitches to start. We’ll see. It’ll be a great story… The worst-case scenario is we brought a good person to camp and to give him a chance. That’s the right thing to do.”
Dipoto also said the Angels wouldn’t send Mulder to the minors unless it was apparent that he was close to being able to pitch in the majors.
“We didn’t sign Mark with the idea of trapping him at Triple-A to make a six-month comeback and then releasing him in the summer,” Dipoto said. “We signed him to give him the opportunity.”
In addition to Mulder, the Angels have signed left-hander Justin Thomas and shortstop Shawn O’Malley to minor league deals with big league spring invites. Thomas, 29, has pitched 31 major league games over parts of three seasons, with a 6.93 ERA. He pitched part of last season in Japan. O’Malley, 26, has played eight seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays farm system.