Kirby Yates is reportedly staying in Los Angeles — but not with the Dodgers. After an uneven season that saw Yates post a 7.90 ERA in the second half, the Angels are reportedly signing him to a one-year deal. It’s yet another move for the Angels, a team that already brought in Drew Pomeranz and Jordan Romano on short-term deals.

A Look at Yates

It wasn’t long ago that Kirby Yates was one of baseball’s best closers. Back in 2024, Yates notched 33 saves and struck out 85 over 61.2 IP, and was a shutdown arm for the Rangers. He turned that strong year into a deal with the Dodgers, setting himself up to work behind Tanner Scott.

Unfortunately for Yates, things didn’t work out well for him in Los Angeles.

Yates posted a 5.23 ERA over 50 games, a season that saw him strike out 52 over 41.1 IP but also one where he gave up nine home runs and 38 total hits (he conceded 23 hits and three home runs in 2024). His 2.0 HR/9 ranked among the bottom-20 of the league, in terms of relievers who made at least 30 appearances last year.

Additionally, Yates’ .354 wOBA ranked 197th among the 221 relievers who met the 30+ appearance criteria.

Yates was not on the Dodgers’ postseason roster. The 38-year-old suffered a right hamstring strain in September, one of several injuries he dealt with in 2025. Yates had a hamstring strain in May and also suffered from lower back pain in the summer.

The 38-year-old has largely been a two-pitch pitcher throughout his career, living between a low-90s fastball that plays up with the angle, coupled with a plus splitter that deviates from the fastball. Hitters batted below .200 off both pitches in 2023 and 2024. However, that wasn’t the case in 2025.

Yates surrendered seven home runs off the fastball and 15 extra-base hits off the splitter last year.

A sidearming right-hander, Yates is still very much a swing-and-miss pitcher. His 35.3% Whiff% rate ranked among the league’s best in the game. However, Yates — a primary splitter/fastball pitcher — wasn’t eliciting as many hacks outside the zone compared to his 2024 campaign.

Walks have traditionally been a problem for Yates, who, as noted earlier, gives up a lot of hard contact traditionally.

Per 7News in Boston, the Angels will sign Kirby Yates to a one-year deal.

Analysis

The addition of Yates to the Angels makes sense for several reasons.

For one, Yates will get to pitch once again under the tutelage of Mike Maddux, his former pitching coach with Texas. Maddux departed the Rangers organization in October to take on the same role with the Los Angeles Angels. It’s worth noting that Yates’ strong comeback in 2024 came with the Rangers.

Two, the Angels get a reliever who, while he does have his command problems, does have a history of working in the team’s primary closer/stopper role. Yates did so with both the Padres and Rangers over the years.

Yates could very well do so again, or pitch as a setup reliever to Ben Joyce, the hard-throwing youngster from the University of Tennessee. The 25-year-old only threw in five Major League games last year, as shoulder problems ended his season early in 2025, much like it did in 2024.

He’ll also join Drew Pomeranz and Jordan Romano, fellow newcomers who were brought in earlier this month by the Angels.

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