The Los Angeles Angels enter the offseason with a familiar, glaring priority: fixing a chronically unstable bullpen. For years, late inning collapses have derailed promising stretches and wasted stellar individual performances.
If the Halos want to compete in the AL West, they cannot afford budget bin hunting or project arms like they did in the Perry Minasian era. Until the farm begins producing more high quality arms, the team must dive into free agency and be prepared to spend money on genuine talent.
Getting proven veterans with playoff pedigree with both improve the team now and set the tone for the young arms like Ben Joyce and Samy Natera Jr. The solution to the Angels' bullpen problem sits just 30 miles north up Interstate 5. By aggressively targeting upcoming free agents from the Los Angeles Dodgers relief corps, the Angels can instantly transform their biggest weakness into a defining strength and help change the culture of a failing unit.
The Elite Closer Option: Evan Phillips
Evan Phillips has been the foundational anchor of the Dodgers' late inning success the past three years. While his workload was intentionally managed this past season as he successfully completed his recovery from June 2025 Tommy John surgery, he proved his high leverage value remains intact by routinely pitching in high leverage situations. In a bounce back campaign, Phillips looked sharp, utilizing his devastating sweeper and highly rated cutter to effectively shut down rallies in late inning situations.
For the Angels, his value is doubled by his contract status. Because his post-surgery workload was limited, the Dodgers are highly unlikely to tender him a $23.15 million qualifying offer. This means the Angels can sign Phillips to a reasonable, highly lucrative multi-year deal without having to forfeit a valuable draft pick. Signing a player attached to a qualifying offer is the one mistake the Angels must avoid this off season.
Bringing Phillips down to Anaheim gives the team a premier weapon whose presence would slide everyone else into more natural, lower-stress roles.
The High-Leverage Left-Hander: Alex Vesia
Every elite bullpen requires a dynamic southpaw who can extinguish fires in the middle innings. Alex Vesia has filled that role perfectly in Los Angeles. Vesia brings an explosive, high spin fastball that generates elite strikeout numbers, paired with an intense, fiery demeanor that thrives in high leverage situations.
By adding Vesia for crunch time, fellow lefty Samy Natera Jr. can develop in lower leverage roles. The Angels rookie would also have a mentor to help develop him into a high leverage arm in the future. Getting through a full season requires some skillset overlap and this duo would be the Angels best southpaw tandem in quite some time.
The Angels’ bullpen has routinely lacked reliable left handed depth capable of shutting down elite sluggers. Vesia is not just a situational specialist; he has the tools to pitch full innings and bridge the gap directly to the ninth. He is dominant against lefties and perfectly capable against righties.
Signing Vesia would inject much needed intensity and swing and miss capability into Anaheim's relief options.
The Veteran High-Upside Gamble: Blake Treinen
If the Angels want to capture lightning in a bottle, Blake Treinen is the ultimate high reward target. When healthy, Treinen possesses some of the most unhittable movement in Major League Baseball. His signature turbo-sinker and slider combination makes him a nightmare for opposing batters looking to mount late game comebacks.
Treinen brings a wealth of veteran leadership and deep postseason experience. While his age and injury history might scare away teams looking for long term security, Treinen could find a place in the Angels bullpen on a one year deal that is laden with incentives.
The 38 year old pitched in 36 games this season after appearing in 32 the year prior. If the money is right, the Angels should consider him a lottery ticket. Depending on guys like Treinen staying healthy is not a pragmatic move, but taking a chance on elite stuff makes sense on the right contract.
Aggression in Free Agency is the Only Way Forward
The Angels cannot expect internal options or minor adjustments to solve a deeply rooted pitching issue. Given the fact the Angels have a solid, mostly home grown rotation the team should prioritize the bullpen. And with the richest owner in all of baseball, the Angels should have money to spend.
The Dodgers' upcoming free agent class offers a rare buffet of premium relief talent. Striking early to secure a combination of Phillips, Vesia, or Treinen—especially with Phillips free from draft pick compensation—would signal a massive shift in organizational intent. It is time for the Halos to raid the Dodgers' depth chart and finally build a bullpen capable of protecting a lead
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