Angels lose out on bargain free agent as Yankees bring back lefty starter

With free agency underway, the Angels so far have yet to make any huge moves. While they have built out some depth at catcher as well as signed a potential bullpen arm, owner Arte Moreno and general manager Perry Minasian have yet to open up the pocketbooks. And while they were never going to be in the running to acquire first baseman Josh Naylor with Nolan Schanuel in Anaheim, watching the Seattle Mariners resign their new star has to have Angels' fans itching for their team to make a move soon. Unfortunately, that did not come on Monday as they missed on making another depth-building move.

The New York Yankees - who will be players for all of the biggest stars in free agency this offseason -were able to start their offseason off simple. They resigned left-handed pitcher Ryan Yarbrough to a one-year, $2.5 million deal, taking one of the first pitchers off the board in this free agency cycle. Yarbrough had an up-and-down 2025 campaign with the Yankees after being signed on the final day of Spring Training.

He pitched both as a starter and out of the bullpen, proving to be more effective as a starter. His 3.83 ERA in eight starts is an impressive mark, but his 5.25 ERA as a reliever makes it clear which role the southpaw should be in for 2026.

Angels miss out on value pitcher in Ryan Yarbrough

While the Angels are likely hoping to sign one of the bigger name free agent starters this offseason, Yarbrough would have been a fantastic depth piece for their big league roster in 2026. Whether it was as a fifth starter, middle reliever, or a mix of both the Angels know at this point that a team can never have too many big league-level pitchers in their organization. After being forced into calling up top pitching prospects for relief appearances (and subsequently throwing a wrench into their development), a veteran like Yarbrough would be nice to have.

As a fifth starter, Yarbrough would have been perfectly serviceable. While this by no means makes the offseason a complete loss in Anaheim, these small moves can prove to be the difference in making or missing the playoffs. Signing such a small deal is somewhat of a surprise for Yarbrough, and he will almost certainly prove to be a steal for the Yankees next season. So while there is still a lot of offseason left to play out, Angels' fans will assuredly begin to grow more and more eager for an impact signing.