AL West Check-In: Updates on Astros, A’s and Angels

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The four-time defending AL West champion Houston Astros released outfielder Ben Gamel and left-hander Jalen Beeks on Saturday.

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The move with Gamel, who played for the Seattle Mariners from 2016-18, comes less than two months after he agreed to a $1.2 million, one-year contract. The deal included a $200,000 signing bonus and a $1 million salary, which was not guaranteed.

The Astros will owe Gamel 45 days termination pay, which comes to $241,036, instead of his salary.

The 32-year-old Gamel hit .167 in 24 at-bats in spring training. He hit .259 with one homer in 20 games with the Astros last season.

The 31-year-old Beeks allowed one run in four innings this spring. He was a combined 7-4 with a 4.50 ERA for Colorado and Pittsburgh in 2024. He had 10 saves, including nine with the Rockies. He got a $100,000 signing bonus as part of his deal with the Astros.

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Also, right-hander Miguel Castro and infielder Luis Guillorme were informed they would not make the Astros’ opening day roster. Each will remain with the team through spring training.

A’s lose key infielder

Athletics second baseman Zack Gelof is scheduled for surgery on his right hand Monday and will begin the season on the injured list.

Gelof suffered a hamate bone fracture and Dr. Steven Shin in Los Angeles will handle the procedure. Manager Mark Kotsay made the announcement at spring training Sunday.

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The infielder was hit by a pitch from Cleveland reliever Paul Sewald on Wednesday and underwent an MRI exam on Saturday.

The 25-year-old Gelof, a second-round selection out of Virginia in the 2021 amateur draft, batted .211 with 17 home runs and 49 RBIs with 25 stolen bases over 138 games in his first year playing regularly.

Another Angels-Braves trade

The Los Angeles Angels acquired right-handed starter Ian Anderson from the Atlanta Braves on Sunday in a trade for left-hander José Suárez.

Anderson had a 2.65 ERA and a whopping 18 walks over 17 innings this spring for the Braves, including four starts. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in early 2023, but he was fighting for a spot on Atlanta’s roster this spring.

The 26-year-old was the third overall pick in the 2016 draft by Atlanta, and he is 22-13 with a 3.97 ERA over parts of three major league seasons. Anderson reached the big leagues in 2020 and won a World Series ring in 2021 after pitching in four postseason games, most notably throwing five hitless innings in Game 3 of the World Series against Houston.

But Anderson struggled in 2022 before getting sent to the minors, and he made 15 minor league starts last season after returning from surgery.

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Suárez also had spent his entire career with the Angels, who signed him out of Venezuela as a teenager in 2014. He started 34 games for the Angels from 2021-22 and became a key part of their rotation.

But Suárez struggled badly in early 2023, and he spent the past two years moving through the Angels’ rotation, the bullpen and the minors while unable to recapture his previous form.

The Angels and the Braves have now made four trades during the current offseason. Los Angeles general manager Perry Minasian worked for Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos with the Blue Jays and the Braves before the Angels hired him four seasons ago.

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