January 19 was a busy day for AL West teams. The Houston Astros picked up arguably the best reliever available in free agency in Josh Hader but the Angels made a reported relief add of their own. Robert Stephenson will reportedly join the Angels after what was a breakout year for the right-hander.
Related: Astros to Sign Josh Hader: What to Make of Move
A Look at Stephenson
Former Rays reliever Robert Stephenson was acquired from the Pirates last June for shortstop prospect Alika Williams. Stephenson had a 5.14 ERA and 1.43 WHIP through 14 innings with the Pirates but things turned once he joined the Rays.
Stephenson struck out 60 over 38.1 IP after Tampa acquired him and was one of the game’s dominant relievers throughout much of the summer for the Rays. It was quite the turnaround, thanks to a few tweaks.
The 30-year-old throws hard, as he’ll sit in the mid-to-high 90s with his four-seam fastball. But there were two notable differences in Stephenson between his time with the Pirates and with the Rays. One was his increased usage of the splitter, which netted him a 42.2% Whiff% and was mostly used against lefties.
But more notable, Stephenson made heavy use of a high 80s cutter, or at least that’s what Statcast defines it as. It’s a pitch that’s roughly the same as the slider he used as a Pirate, so much so that Stephenson referred to it as such. However, the Rays got Stephenson to use a different grip.
Nonetheless, it could be described as a “slutter,” as it visually looks like a slider. Stephenson’s cutter breaks down much harder with less cut action. And, it helped net Stephenson a lot of whiffs down to the glove side.
Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Robert Stephenson will receive a three-year deal with the Angels plus an option.
Analysis
The Mets and Phillies were rumored to be in on Robert Stephenson, as both teams could use extra bullpen help. Instead, the former first-round pick will reportedly join an Angels team that’s also thin in the ranks in the bullpen.
It’s been a quiet offseason for the Angels, one that saw Los Angeles lose Shohei Ohtani. The Angels did pick up Luis Garcia and Zach Plesac but Stephenson should play a larger role for Los Angeles.
Heading into 2024, the Angels’ bullpen options before this reported move included the aforementioned Luis Garcia, flamethrower Ben Joyce, Sam Bachman, Andrew Wantz, Jimmy Herget, and closer Carlos Estevez.
Estevez will likely head into camp as the Angels’ presumptive closer. However, the 2023 AL All-Star did not have a good second half, as he gave up 20 earned runs over 27.1 IP and opposing hitters posted an OPS (.848) over 200 points higher than in the first half.
Stephenson has a strong chance to slot in as a setup man or close in various situations.