Baltimore Orioles claim Jacob Webb off waivers from Angels

With the Baltimore Orioles making plenty of headlines on Monday's off day, they made a pair of roster moves that flew under the radar because of that other piece of news. Right handed relief pitcher Jacob Webb was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels, with long reliever Austin Voth transferred to the 60 Day IL to make 40 man roster move.

Orioles pick up Jacob Webb on waivers to add fresh arm to bullpen

The most pressing thing about claiming Webb off waivers is that he has no minor league options remaining, meaning the Orioles must add him to their active 26 man roster. No corresponding move on the 26 man roster has been announced as of time of writing, but the most likely move would be to option Joey Krehbiel back down to Norfolk. Let's learn a little more about Webb.

Webb features a three pitch combination, mixing in a four seam fastball, changeup, and slider. Both his changeup and slider average in the mid 80s in velocity, while his average fastball velocity is 95 miles an hour, putting him in the 71st percentile in fastball velocity.

This season is Webb's last pre arbitration season, he'll be eligible for arbitration in the winter for the first time. He'll be eligible for free agency after the 2026 season. If the Orioles can turn him around, he'll be a solid middle relief option under control for multiple seasons to come. Not bad at all.

Webb has a 24.3 strikeout percentage, possessing a good ability to miss bats, also evidenced by 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings. However, the walks are also an issue, averaging 5.7 walks per nine and possessing a 14.3 percent walk rate. On balls in play against Webb, he has a 36.1 percent ground ball rate.

So far this season, Webb has appeared in 29 games for the Angels out of the bullpen. He has a 3.98 ERA, 5.67 FIP, and 1.358 WHIP, with a strikeout to walk ratio of 1.70 and one save in 31 2/3 innings in his first season with the Angels.

Prior to this season, Webb previously pitched in 78 games out of the Atlanta Braves bullpen from 2019 to 2021, not including a stint on the Braves NLCS roster in their World Series winning season in 2021. In a Braves uniform, Webb had a 2.47 ERA, 3.99 FIP, and 1.304 WHIP, picking up three saves in 76 2/3 innings.

This move is an upside play for the Orioles as they put Webb in the bullpen. If they can help him rediscover the form he had early in the season with the Angels, he'll be a reliable reliever that they can have for a few more years to come.

If the Orioles get the Webb the Angels saw in July and the start of August, they can wash their hands of it and DFA him when they need a fresh arm in the bullpen. Welcome to Baltimore, Jacob!