Stacking Some Hawaiian Halos
December 31, 2025 - Written by Noah Pohle
Welcome back to Anaheim!#Angels https://t.co/J6kfp6Ci8I pic.twitter.com/gLIc7y9d5O
— InsideHalos (@InsideHalos) December 30, 2025
The Angels are not done augmenting their relief corps for the upcoming season. After earlier agreements with arms like Alek Manoah, Jordan Romano, and Drew Pomeranz, another lower-cost bounceback option should perhaps have been expected. Kirby Yates was an excellent closer for Texas in 2024, though his struggles for the World Champion Dodgers in 2025 limited his value on the open market to a one-year, $5 million accord to again wear Angel red.
The Hawaiian-born reliever will get to play for a fellow Hawaiian in first-time manager Kurt Suzuki, and also notably, Yates is also reuniting with Mike Maddux, his pitching coach for that 2024 season during which he received down-ballot Cy Young Award votes. Prior to that 2024 season, Yates was using his fastball and splitter with about even usage, before relying more heavily on his fastball, at about a 60/40 split. He was fantastic at limiting hard contact, and punched out plenty of batters along the way.
While Yates has long been a precise pitcher, his command was slow to come back after some injury troubles in the early 2020s. After seemingly getting back on track in 2024 in this department, his pitch charts show much more variability in his locations in 2025. Additionally, he leaned away from his fastball again with the Dodgers, becoming more of a 50/50 split pitcher again. Hitters were able to wait him out and optimize their contact, which is reflected in his jump in launch angle, exit velocity, and Pulled Air %. Yates has had a storied career, and he is certainly capable of tinkering again to find a way to get hitters out. Him and Mike Maddux will be tasked with that for the second time, in a new uniform.
In 2026, Yates will likely get some leverage opportunities in an undefined Angels bullpen. Robert Stephenson, Brock Burke, Ben Joyce (at some point) and the new additions should soak up the majority of leverage innings, with alternatives like Ryan Zeferjahn, José Fermin, Chase Silseth and Victor Mederos jostling for roles behind them. Kirby Yates was one of the best relievers in baseball just a few years ago, and he and the Angels are hoping to recapture that magic for one more season.
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