Calling all arms!!! Who will be in the Los Angeles Angels rotation in 2016?

Jered Weaver who has long been the Angels ace is now trying to adjust to a drop in his velocity. Will he be able to show enough to remain in the rotation in 2016? Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Jered Weaver – Jered Weaver has been the ace of the Los Angeles Angels staff since 2010 when John Lackey left to Boston via free agency. With a career record of 138-81 and an ERA of 3.40, Weaver has been one of the most effective pitchers in club history. Even before becoming the #1 starter in 2010, Weaver had put up impressive numbers including going 11-2 with a 2.65 ERA during his rookie season in 2006 when burst into the rotation first for injured Bartolo Colon, and then later that same season he replaced his brother Jeff who was released after a poor first couple months of the season.  Weaver then followed it up with a 13-7 season with a 3.91 ERA in 2007 in his first full year in the starting rotation.  In 2009 Weaver had a breakout year along with Lackey as he went 16-8 with a 3.75 ERA helping lead the Angels to the ALCS before falling to the New York Yankees.  From 2010-2012 as the definitive ace Weaver flourished despite the Angels having three sub-par years going 51-25 with an ERA of 2.73, which included a 20-5 record in 2012, to become the 7th pitcher in Los Angeles Angels history to win 20 games.  In 2013 Weaver missed close to two months of the season going 11-8 with a 3.27 ERA before bouncing back in 2014 to lead the team in wins again with an 18-9 record and a 3.59 ERA despite dropping five MPH in his velocity.  However, in 2015 Weaver again battled injuries which kept him out of the rotation for seven weeks. He finished 7-12 with a 4.64 ERA which was anything but ace-like.  So that leads to our first question mark.  Should Jered Weaver be in the 2016 Angels starting rotation?  Weaver is in the final year of his current contract and is scheduled to be paid $20 million dollars in 2016.  Which deserving or not makes Weaver an almost lock to be in the starting rotation at the beginning of the season.  Not only is the money a factor, but the lifetime history with the Angels also goes a long way as Scioscia is known for being loyal to his veterans even to a fault. However, if Weaver gets off to a poor start there is a possibility he may get bumped from the rotation.  His replacement would probably be one of the eight pitchers mentioned in the beginning of the story, that didn’t initially make the starting rotation. Time will tell for Weaver, here’s hoping he has one more great year left in him in 2016.

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