Dec. 23--The Angels claimed three players off waivers on Wednesday: utility infielder Rey Navarro from the Baltimore Orioles and left-handed relievers Rob Rasmussen from the Seattle Mariners and Bobby LaFromboise from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
To make room on the 40-man roster for the additions, the team outrighted reliever A.J. Achter, who was claimed off waivers from Philadelphia last week, to triple-A Salt Lake and released catcher Rafael Lopez.
Navarro, 26, reached the big leagues briefly with Baltimore last season after playing eight minor league seasons with four different organizations. He has a career .264 average and a .312 on-base percentage in 972 minor league games. He's considered a strong defender up the middle and also can play third base.
Rasmussen, 26, has a 7.09 earned-run average in 26 2/3 major league innings and a 3.71 ERA in 518 2/3 minor league innings in five organizations. The Pasadena native pitched at UCLA.
LaFramboise, 29, has a 3.63 ERA in 22 1/3 big league innings and a 3.56 ERA in 593 1/3 minor league innings in three organizations. The Downey native played at Rio Hondo College in Whittier.
Navarro will give the Angels much-needed middle infield depth and likely will start the season at Salt Lake. The two relievers could compete for bullpen spots, but neither is expected to beat out Jose Alvarez for the primary left-handed relief job.
