Ryan Johnson’s emergence could set Angels up to make a push for relevancy in 2027

It’s been a season full of changes for the Los Angeles Angels. They fired their general manager and have a new owner which has seemingly turned a new page over for a franchise that badly needed a reset. While it may be overly optimistic to think the Halos could be competitive in 2027, Ryan Johnson’s emergence could play an important role in that possibility.

Johnson really struggled for most of the season which was seemingly a continuation of the struggles he displayed in 2026. Last season his ERA was 7.36 and that’s where roughly where he was at pretty deep into this season, but he has turned things around as of late.

In his last seven starts, he has a 2.04 ERA in 39 and 2/3 innings pitched. It’s unclear exactly what the cause of this turnaround has been, perhaps the new pitching coaches just letting him be himself has played a role, but if Johnson is proving that he can be a solid rotation arm that gives the Angels a chance at relevancy next season.

The rotation has certainly struggled at times this season, but on paper they could have a respectable starting five in 2027. Walbert Ureña has emerged as a really promising young arm, Yusei Kikuchi has done a little better as of late, and Tyler Bremner could be ready by next season.

That means the Angels probably wouldn’t have to spend a ton of money on a starter. Maybe they could get a mid-tier arm or a No. 5 in the rotation kind of guy to fill the final spot in the rotation and then they could go into 2027 feeling reasonably decent in the rotation.

Angels can be a factor in 2027, but everything must go right

It’s far from a sure thing especially after Kikuchi’s injury struggles, Johnson’s struggles earlier in the year, the potential for a Ureña letdown in his sophomore campaign, and the fact that Bremner is still unproven. Yet, the Angels aren’t at a point where they’re going to have five aces in the rotation.

If they go into 2027 with those four penciled in and add one guy, they at least have a shot to be in the mix if everything goes right. If all of their starters stay pretty healthy and pitch up to their potential and they get good production out of the lineup then there’s no reason to think they can’t at least make a little noise in an AL West division that has proven to be exceptionally weak this year. Plus, not having to spend a ton of money on the rotation could allow the team to spend on the bullpen or maybe to acquire a bat or two.

Johnson needs to prove that his late-season form is not a fluke though otherwise the whole plan falls apart. He could really be the linchpin holding the rotation together next season so if he performs well and has an ERA in the 3.00-4.00 range that could be huge and give the Angels a real chance.

It’s a big if and the much more likely scenario is that the team won’t be truly competitive until later in the decade, but crazier things can happen so if Johnson builds off of his strong finish in 2026 maybe the Angels will no longer be a laughingstock. 

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