Is it officially time to hit the panic button on LA Angels' major free agent signing?

When the LA Angels signed Ryan Tepera to a two-year/$14 million contract, they were supposed to be getting a good one. In 2020 and 2021, Tepera was a 3.07 ERA pitcher with a 2.88 FIP and 143 ERA+. Boy, have things changed.

This season, Tepera is a 4.38 ERA pitcher with a 4.35 FIP and 91 ERA+. This is exactly what the Halos didn't need when signing one of the better relievers in this year's free agent market. The issues, however, extend past the standard numbers, however. They're not really masking anything--his SIERA is at 4.18.

It's nice that he's only giving up 6.2 hits per nine frames this season--which is actually less than what he gave up with the White Sox last year; the team he performed best with in 2021. His walk problem has resurfaced, however, as he's walking four batters per nine frames this season.

Ryan Tepera's WHIP is under control at 1.135, but the walks are still a concern for the LA Angels.

As expected when finding that Ryan Tepera is not allowing many hits on the LA Angels, he's also not allowing a high batting average. He's keeping hitters under .200 with a .198 BA. He's not doing much else right, though, as he has a negative fWAR and is only striking out 7.7 batters per nine innings.

While some won't want to accept it, the reality is that Tepera is having a down year. The Halos are 60 games in, so it's not too early to point to that. Obviously, there are 102 games left and therefore a comeback is certainly possible. Tepera has been a great pitcher for years before he came to Anaheim, so it wouldn't necessarily be wise to bet against him turning it around.

It's true, however, that a bad 60-game start does certainly raise eyebrows and major adjustments are needed as of this moment.