The Los Angeles Angels completely revamped their bullpen in the offseason after a rough year in relief last season, but their investments are yet to show much promise in 2026.
The Angels brought in plenty of arms during the winter, signing MLB veterans such as Kirby Yates, Drew Pomeranz and Jordan Romano to piece together a bullpen which lost all-time great reliever Kenley Jansen to free agency.
Those relievers, though, have had a calamitous start to the season. Yates is still yet to make an appearance in an Angels jersey this season, and has allowed seven runs in three total rehab appearances in Single-A and Triple-A.
The Angels designated Romano for assignment Sunday after allowing nine runs in five outings, and released him Monday. Pomeranz stepped up as a high-leverage arm after Romano’s departure, but has allowed a home run to a left-handed batter—something he hadn’t done since 2019—two games in a row.
The rest of the bullpen hasn’t exactly been spotless either, with just two relievers currently on the MLB roster with more than three innings pitched posting an ERA below 4.00. The bullpen has thrown 109 innings posting a 5.75 ERA, which ranks third-worst in MLB. Per ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, Angels relievers have allowed 25 runs through 21.1 innings over the last six games, posting a 10.55 ERA with four blown saves and a WHIP higher than 2.00.
Angels relievers over their last six games:21 1/3 IP, 30 H, 14 BB, 25 ER.That's a 10.55 ERA — and four blown saves.
The Angels also struggled in the bullpen in 2025, posting the third-worst ERA in MLB as well as the worst ERA in the American League.
The Halos have plenty of problems around the diamond, though, not just in their bullpen.
Another lingering problem from last season lies in their fielding, which has also been among the league’s worst this season. They rank dead last in fielding run value with a minus-13 rating, and have the third-fewest outs above average in the league.
Baserunning issues such as center fielder Bryce Teodosio’s in Monday’s game have also been costly. The Angels also rank bottom-three in base running rating with a minus-2.3 mark.
While those issues have certainly made a difference, their relievers’ inability to hold big leads late into games over their past two contests poses a real issue for how the remainder of the season will play out.
They’re still just four games out of first in the division, but if things don’t change soon, that number will only grow and they’ll miss out on the postseason for a 12th consecutive season.
What is the biggest issue you’ve seen from the Angels this year?
The post Angels’ Biggest Issue Lies in the Bullpen This Season appeared first on LA Sports Report.