Angels just admitted another half-baked attempt to replace Kenley Jansen failed

The Los Angeles Angels made the somewhat unpopular decision to allow Kenley Jansen to enter free agency this past offseason without extending a meaningful offer. Instead of re-signing the future Hall of Famer, Angels GM Perry Minasian decided to gather three relievers who he thought were capable of locking things down in the ninth inning. Predictably, Minasian was wrong (again).

On Monday, the Angels admitted as much after designating left-handed reliever Drew Pomeranz for assignment. Pomeranz was coming off a successful return to the big leagues after logging 57 relief appearances for the Chicago Cubs in 2025. He fell just short of 50 innings, but managed a 2.17 ERA and 1.067 WHIP. Unfortunately, those numbers didn't follow him out to the West Coast.

The lefty agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal with the Angels, but posted a ghastly 5.01 ERA across 23⅓ innings pitched. Moreover, Pomeranz didn't even record a single save during his entire Angels' tenure.

Drew Pomeranz is the latest Angels' closer to be shown the door

Angels fans will remember that Pomeranz was one of three veteran relievers brought into the fold this past winter. In addition, Minasian and Co. also signed Jordan Romano and Kirby Yates.

Romano has since been released and latched on with the Colorado Rockies — which should give you an idea of his value throughout the league. He's currently pitching for the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate. Romano made 11 appearances for LA earlier this season and owned a troubling 10.13 ERA before his release.

Yates spent the first month of the 2026 season on the injured list, but returned to the Angels' active roster at the beginning of May. The results haven't been awful, but a 4.38 ERA and just one save on the season is hardly worth the $5 million payday the Halos handed him during the offseason.

If you add up the total salaries between Pomeranz, Romano, and Yates, it comes to about $11 million. Jansen's free-agent deal with the Tigers was worth $11 million. You can't make this stuff up. That stated, Jansen has struggled this season and has a 4.50 ERA and just seven saves in 19 appearances out of the Tigers bullpen.

But the Pomeranz DFA is something that most Angels' fans could've seen from a mile away, and it wouldn't be a shock to see Kirby kicked to the curb before the 2026 campaign comes to a close. This has just turned into an all around embarrassment for the once-proud Angels' franchise.

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