Big free agent signing by the Angels will miss the whole 2024 campaign
Originally published by Anthony Franco on MLB Trade Rumors | Last updated 4/17/24
According to MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger, the Angels have notified reporters that reliever Robert Stephenson will be sidelined for the entire season due to an elbow injury. On Thursday, the club will release more information. if Stephenson will have surgery or if he should be ready to go for the 2025 campaign has not yet been disclosed.
The Halos, who added Stephenson as their greatest offseason signing, have suffered a terrible blow. He signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Angels, marking their lone multiyear commitment of the offseason. A $2.5 million conditional club option for 2027 was included in that agreement; it would activate if Stephenson sustained an elbow ligament injury requiring at least 130 days on the disabled list. The option will become effective due to the injury, according to Sam Blum of the Athletic.
That’s still not very consoling in the near run. Stephenson was supposed to take on high-risk setup duties ahead of closer Carlos Estévez for the Halos. Following an absolutely spectacular 23 season, the righty was one of the best upside plays in the relief class of the previous year.
For the most part of his career, Stephenson has had uneven performance despite having a first-round and top prospect credentials. But he’s always had great talent, and after being traded to the Rays in June of last year, he turned it into four months of outstanding play. In Tampa Bay, Stephenson relied more and more on a power slider/cutter that was almost unhittable. As a Ray, he struck out almost 43% of opposition hitters in 42 games, working to a 2.35 ERA. With a ludicrous 28.9% of his pitches inducing swinging strikes, he surpassed the league average by more than twice. This was an MLB record.
The Angels will not have the opportunity to assess that production’s reproducibility in 2024. During spring training, Stephenson struggled with shoulder pain, which prevented him from playing in preseason games. Last week, the Halos sent him to a recovery facility, but that move backfired. After experiencing elbow pain from the first batter he faced, Stephenson had to leave the game. Regretfully, that clearly indicated a serious injury.
Whenever Los Angeles needs a spot on the 40-man roster, they will place Stephenson on the 60-day injured list. They will have to proceed without the player they had in mind as the essential component of a redesigned bullpen. Matt Moore, Luis GarcÃa, Adam Cimber, José Cisnero, and Hunter Strickland were all acquired over the offseason. (Moore was waived by the Halos last summer as part of their payroll reductions to escape CBT.) With a 4.83 total ERA going into Wednesday’s game, the bullpen was ranked 22nd, but up until playing two back-and-forth games against the Rays in the previous two days, they had been effective in maintaining leads.
