Angels may finally get the payoff they wanted all along from this top signing in 2026

The Los Angeles Angels rolled the dice ahead of the 2024 season when they signed reliever Robert Stephenson to a three-year, $33 million contract. He has dealt with injuries for the majority of that deal, but 2026 may finally be the season when he's a big contributor.

One might have been a bit surprised that Stephenson earned such a large contract considering his career ERA prior to 2024 was 4.64, but he had a solid 2023 season with both the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays as he had a 3.10 ERA in 52 innings pitched and struck out a whopping 77 batters in that span.

The high strikeout rate is what got him that sizable contract from the Angels, but almost immediately it seemed like a regrettable decision.

Angels may finally get something out of Robert Stephenson in 2026

Stephenson missed all of 2024 with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. He returned in 2025, but the injury issues persisted. Stephenson made his Angels debut in May of 2025 and was solid as he had a scoreless inning of work with two strikeouts. But in his next outing he had a setback and was shut down until August.

The California native made a few more appearances before he was shut down again in September due to elbow inflammation, so injuries have obviously been a huge problem during his tenure with the Angels. When he actually was on the mound for the Halos last season though, he pitched quite well. In 12 outings he had a 2.70 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched along with three walks.

Stephenson looked good, but the big question heading into 2026 is whether he can stay on the mound. If he can, he could potentially be a closer option for Los Angeles even though he has just three saves in his big league career.

The Angels had Kenley Jansen as their closer in 2025, but he departed in free agency and joined the Detroit Tigers. Stephenson and Ben Joyce seem like the two likeliest options to close although health concerns apply to Joyce as well. Even with Stephenson's relative lack of experience in the 9th inning, he clearly has the raw stuff of a closer. Striking out 77 guys in 52 innings proves he can be dominant when he is right. The bigger question will be how he holds up mentally when trying to close the door.

The Stephenson signing has been a bit of a bust so far, but he has a chance to flip the script in 2026 and prove he was worth that $33 million deal.