Thompson will join the Halos for spring training after an underwhelming 2019. He opened the past season with the Lotte Giants of the KBO League before being cut by the South Korean club and latching on with the Tigers on a minor-league deal. Thompson was at least able to end his campaign on a high note with an eight-inning, 13-strikeout performance for Double-A Erie on Aug. 30, so the Angels will presumably give him a look this spring and determine if he's a viable rotation option for their Pacific Coast or Southern League affiliates.

After transitioning to a full-time relief role last spring, Thompson failed to find much success at the Triple-A Toledo or major-league level across stints in the Phillies and Brewers organizations. Upon hitting free agency after the 2018 season, Thompson opted to head to the Korea Baseball Organization, where he posted a 4.74 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 62.2 innings before being released in June. He'll now return stateside for work, joining the organization that originally selected him in the second round of the 2012 first-year player draft.

Thompson's transition to a full-time relief role last season didn't go as well as hoped, as he put up a 4.96 ERA and 1.53 WHIP over nine appearances for the Phillies before being designated for assignment in August. He latched on with the Brewers soon after but never appeared at the big-league level before he was dropped from their 40-man roster. Since Thompson wasn't likely to garner anything more than a minor-league deal had he remained stateside, he'll opt for greater financial security by going overseas in 2019. Still just 24 years old, Thompson has plenty of time left to resurface in the big leagues down the road.

Thompson will report back to the SkySox after passing through waivers unclaimed. The 24-year-old owns a combined 4.30 ERA and 55:29 K:BB across 52.1 innings with Colorado Springs and Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season.