Robert Stephenson’s Angels run never really got off the ground, and now it’s officially over. The MLBPA announced that Stephenson is a free agent after Los Angeles declined its $2.5MM club option for 2027, closing the book on a stint that produced just 10 innings over three seasons.
That’s a brutal end for a pitcher the Angels once bet big on. After a trade from the Pirates to the Rays in June 2023, Stephenson flashed like a bullpen force in Tampa Bay, putting together a 2.35 ERA with a 5.7% walk rate and a massive 42.9% strikeout rate across 38 1/3 innings. The broader track record over eight MLB seasons had been uneven, but the Angels saw enough in that breakout to hand him a three-year, $33MM free agent deal in January 2024.
From there, the injuries took over. Stephenson missed all of 2024 and part of 2025 while working back from Tommy John surgery, and biceps and elbow inflammation kept him to only those 10 innings in 2025. More elbow trouble surfaced last spring, leading to a ligament and flexor repair procedure in April that wiped out his 2026 season as well.
The Tommy John recovery also triggered the contract language that gave Los Angeles the extra option year for 2027. Even with the option price sitting at just $2.5MM, the Angels appear to have decided either that the health risk was too much or that they simply wanted out of the deal entirely.
Former GM Perry Minasian signed Stephenson with owner Arte Moreno’s approval, and both names have since shifted out of the picture. Minasian was fired last season, and Moreno has since sold the team to Stan Kroenke’s ownership group.
Stephenson will turn 34 in February, and a minor league contract is likely the best he can expect as he tries to come back from three lost seasons. After everything that’s happened, retirement would not be a surprise, even if he’d surely prefer to find one more real chance to pitch at a higher level.
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