Bundy learned of Angels trade hours before proposing to girlfriend

Dylan Bundy began two new chapters in his life within hours of each other this past offseason.

The right-handed starter was traded from the Baltimore Orioles to the Los Angeles Angels in early December while he was on vacation in Costa Rica with his girlfriend, Caitlin Smith.

After receiving an urgent message from Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias to call him, Bundy was unable to find a reliable means of communication, the 27-year-old told Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Bundy wasn't able to contact Elias and learn of the trade until mere hours before his planned proposal to Smith - a moment the pitcher had been working toward for months.

The change in his employment didn't alter Bundy's plans, though. Despite not hearing from the Angels and being unsure of his status with his new club, Bundy proposed during dinner to Smith's surprise.

"Going into that dinner, I just thought, 'I'm excited for some good food and just some alone time,'" Smith, Bundy's high school sweetheart, told Ardaya. "And then, when he proposed, I was completely caught off guard but in the best way."

"I guess you could say it was a big day," Bundy added.

Bundy was widely considered the top high school arm in the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft and was selected fourth overall by the Orioles. He progressed well in the minors and was once ranked the second-best prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, but wound up requiring Tommy John surgery in 2013. He finally bounced back from injury in 2016, pitching four seasons with the O's and authoring a 4.69 ERA and 4.75 FIP.

After being traded for four minor-league pitchers, including Isaac Mattson, Bundy made four appearances this spring for the Angels. He allowed two runs on four hits, including one homer, and one walk while racking up 16 strikeouts over 11 1/3 innings.