3 positions the Angels must address next after bolstering bullpen with Robert Stephenson signing

The Angels have more work to do even after signing one of the best relief pitchers available.
Aug 27, 2023; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA;  Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Robert Stephenson (26)
Aug 27, 2023; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Robert Stephenson (26) / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next

1) The Angels still need another reliever after signing Robert Stephenson

The bullpen is obviously much-improved after signing Robert Stephenson, but the Angels would still benefit from another arm, particularly from the left side.

As of now, Jose Suarez would be the lone lefty in the Angels bullpen. They do have pitchers like Kenny Rosenberg and Kolton Ingram on the 40-man roster as well as Adam Kolarek off of it who can all make the Opening Day roster, but it's hard to see any of those three players doing so. While Suarez has shown some potential in the past, he was abysmal last season and should not be relied upon to get key outs as their lone lefty.

Additionally, the Angels would have all sorts of question marks with their Opening Day bullpen if they didn't make another addition. Will Carlos Estevez bounce back? Can Stephenson remain dominant? Can they rely on young arms Jose Soriano and Ben Joyce to be both healthy and consistently productive? Those are their four best relievers right there.

Adding a veteran left-handed reliever who can pitch late in games like Matt Moore or Wandy Peralta would go a long way for this Angels team. It would not break the bank at all, and would fill a necessary void.

Remember, the Angels had one of the worst bullpens in baseball last season. They hope pitchers like Luis Garcia and Adam Cimber can bounce back following down years, but they signed cheap one-year deals for a reason. They could use another arm to lessen the pressure on guys like Joyce and Soriano while adding some help for Estevez and Stephenson.

manual