The Los Angeles Dodgers have officially lost another piece of their 2025 World Series championship puzzle — and this one comes with far more emotion than box scores can explain.
Veteran right-handed reliever Kirby Yates, one of the most battle-scarred arms of the modern bullpen era, agreed Tuesday to a one-year, $5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels, choosing a short drive down the freeway and a far more uncertain road back toward relevance.
For the Dodgers, it’s another quiet departure from a title team already thinning at the edges.
For Yates, at 38 years old, it’s survival.
And maybe redemption.
Yates arrived in Los Angeles last season on a one-year, $12 million deal, billed as a veteran stabilizer for a bullpen built to win it all. On paper, the signing made sense. In reality, it unraveled almost immediately.
The 2025 season was a grind — physically, mentally, emotionally. Yates made three trips to the injured list, never found consistent rhythm, and was ultimately left off the postseason roster entirely as the Dodgers pushed toward another championship run.
He never threw a pitch in October.
By the time the confetti fell, Yates had posted a 5.23 ERA, a far cry from the dominant late-inning force he once was. To many fans, his Dodgers tenure felt like a disappointment, even a footnote.
But inside the clubhouse, the story was more complicated.
Yates became a mentor. A sounding board. A reminder of how fragile and fleeting this career can be. Young relievers listened when he spoke, because his arm carried scars that spreadsheets can’t quantify.
And when the Dodgers lifted the trophy, Yates still walked away with something that can never be taken from him: a World Series ring — and one unforgettable Dodgers tattoo.
Here’s what made the Angels interested — and what kept Yates employed when so many pitchers his age vanish quietly.
Despite the ugly ERA, the underlying numbers whispered something else.
A 35.3% whiff rate.
A 29.1% strikeout rate.
In flashes, the ball still exploded out of his hand like it remembered what it used to be.
For the Angels, that’s enough.
This winter, their front office has made it clear they aren’t chasing perfection. They’re chasing flickers — glimpses of past dominance that might still be coaxed back under the right circumstances.
Yates joins Jordan Romano and Drew Pomeranz as part of a calculated bullpen gamble built on health, memory, and upside rather than certainty.
Few careers in baseball have twisted the way Kirby Yates’ has.
Undrafted out of Yavapai College.
Years of bouncing between organizations.
Two Tommy John surgeries.
A major league debut at 27, long after most prospects are written off.
And then, impossibly, at 32, he became one of the most feared closers in the sport.
In 2019 with the Padres, Yates led all of MLB with 41 saves, posted a 1.19 ERA, earned his first All-Star selection, and rewrote his own ceiling. It was dominance that felt sudden — and unsustainable.
The fall came just as fast. Bone chips. More surgery. Just 15 appearances over three seasons. Careers usually end there, quietly.
Yates refused.
He resurfaced with the Braves in 2023, then authored a near-mythic comeback with the Rangers in 2024 — 1.17 ERA, 33 saves, 85 strikeouts, and another All-Star nod. A resurrection stitched together by willpower and muscle memory.
Now, he lands in an Angels bullpen searching for an identity.
With Kenley Jansen gone, there is no defined closer in Anaheim. Ben Joyce offers raw electricity. Robert Stephenson brings steadiness. Romano carries pedigree, even if recent seasons dulled his shine.
And Yates?
He brings 98 career saves and the understanding of what the ninth inning demands when everything is on the line.
The path isn’t guaranteed. Last season’s nine home runs allowed in just over 41 innings loom as a glaring warning sign. But if he can limit the long ball and stay on the mound, there’s a scenario where Yates doesn’t just contribute — he finishes games.
The Angels are betting that flicker can still become flame.
Yates didn’t leave Los Angeles quietly.
“It’s sad not having another chance to wear the Dodgers uniform,” he said in a farewell message. “That’s where I wanted to give everything I had — my strength, my skills. Wherever I go, I’ll always remember this place… the fans, the wins, the moments. Goodbye.”
The Dodgers move on, champions once again, saying goodbye to a player who never fully lived up to expectations — but still helped them reach the summit.
And Kirby Yates?
He keeps going.
Because if his career has proven anything, it’s this: as long as there’s a flicker left, he’s not done yet.
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