Angels’ 'Island of Misfit Toys' bullpen strategy appears to be backfiring already

Fans already know that the Los Angeles Angels simply do not have the green light to invest in pitching as they should. They lagged in pitching development for years, and under Arte Moreno, they certainly aren't going to fork over real money for arms in free agency or trades. It was honestly surprising that they struck the deals with Robert Stephenson (more on him in a second) and Yusei Kikuchi that they did.

As a result, general manager Perry Minasian has had to get creative to at least try to make a passable MLB pitching staff. The rotation, in particular, is challenging as it is pretty hard to find clearance aisle cast-offs that can actually compete against big league hitters. However, there are definitely more decent choices among relievers who are also usually cheaper, and it seemed like the Angels did well to add two former premier bullpen arms in Kirby Yates and Jordan Romano.

Relievers are volatile, so while both Yates and Romano were coming off down years, it was not inconceivable that they could bounce back and create a really intriguing backend of the bullpen with Stephenson. Unfortunately, things have not gone according to plan this spring.

Angels' risky bullpen plan is on a razor's edge after velocity drops and/or injuries

There was always a risk with any bullpen decision LA made because, well, relievers break hearts all the time. However, you can do a lot worse than getting guys who have been under the bright lights before and have been among the game's elite while doing so, as Romano and Yates have. However, after Stephenson had yet another injury setback, the word on both veteran arms has been mixed.

The results on the field have been good enough not to raise alarm bells in terms of their stat lines. At the end of the day, spring stats are little more than window dressing anyway. However, neither Yates nor Romano was good last year; that is just true. That Romano's velocity is down 1.5 MPH, and Yates is down 1 MPH over arguably the worst versions of themselves, is pretty problematic.

Instead of creating a decent collage of a bullpen, the Angels' relief corps now looks like the Island of Misfit Toys (I'm old, look it up). There are certainly some positives worth dreaming about a bit, but it seems like every one of their relievers has at least one serious question mark heading into 2026, and that is not a position you want to be in at this point in the spring.