The Los Angeles Angels have been quiet on just about every free agent front with the exception of the bullpen. L.A. has completely reshaped their relief crew, and it has gone from their biggest weakness to arguably their biggest strength with additions like Robert Stephenson, Matt Moore, Adam Cimber and Luis Garcia. Where they have made no moves is the starting rotation, still anchored by Patrick Sandoval and Reid Detmers.
The only major shift in the Angels’ starting rotation this offseason is the loss of Shohei Ohtani to the L.A. Dodgers. While this leaves the Angels without a true ace — which they wouldn’t have had even if Ohtani re-signed due to his elbow surgery — it does open the door to return to a five-man rotation.
The Angels utilized a six-man rotation during Ohtani’s four seasons as a starting pitcher in an effort to give him ample rest between starts. Now, they have the ability to return to a traditional five-man rotation. And that is reportedly exactly what they plan to do, with Sandoval and Detmers leading the charge, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
The Halos will go back to utilizing a five-man rotation now that Ohtani is gone, and barring any additions or injuries, it’s expected to be composed of Patrick Sandoval, Tyler Anderson, Griffin Canning, Silseth and Detmers.
Sandoval, Detmers and Tyler Anderson are not surprises by any stretch. Sandoval has been arguably the best non-Ohtani pitchers on the Angels the last three seasons, Detmers has long been the team’s most promising young starter and Anderson is the highest-paid pitcher on the roster.
The surprises, for lack of a better term, are Griffin Canning and Chase Silseth. Canning earned his way into the 2024 rotation by finally putting together a relatively healthy campaign in 2023. He tossed 127 innings for a 4.32 ERA and 1.236 WHIP. His 103 ERA+ suggests he is right around league average for starting pitchers.
But his injury history and consistency issues with hard contact — career 1.6 home runs allowed per nine innings — make him an intriguing bet at the No. 4 spot in the Angels rotation.
Silseth is the biggest wild card of the group at the No. 5 spot. Entering his third Major League season, he has shown moments of serious promise — a 3.89 ERA in eight starts last season — but has also been unplayable at other times — a 6.59 ERA in seven starts in 2022.
The Angels are clearly in a retooling campaign, and while this starting rotation has the potential to be in the top half league-wide, the likeliest scenario is the bullpen doing heavy lifting at different times this season.
Angels acquire Guillermo Zuñiga
In an effort to land even more relief help, the Angels acquired right-hander Guillermo Zuñiga from the St. Louis Cardinals. A flame-thrower, Zuñiga’s fastball averages 99.4 mph.