LA Angels: Three Mid-Rotation Arms To Pair With an Ace

Cole Hamels

If Teheran is the youngster with upside, Cole Hamels is ol’ reliable for the Angels. The soon-to-be 36-year old is coming off another rock solid season where he posted a 3.81 ERA with the Cubs over 27 starts.

Hamels has proven to be valuable to a rotation, and while he may not be the All Star he was in the past, he can certainly serve as a mid-rotation piece for any contending club. His ERA would probably take a hit if he moved back to the American League, but there’s also reason to believe he could post even better numbers if he finds himself in Anaheim next season.

Hamels declined in the final month of the season for the Cubs. He fought fatigue in his throwing shoulder, but pitched through it. While he was still effective, it was definitely a step down from the level he was at prior.

However, the Angels are expected to move back to a six-man rotation in 2020 as Shohei Ohtani returns to the mound. I’ve written about why this makes Hyun-Jim Ryu a perfect fit due to his decline towards the end of 2019, and the same goes for Hamels. Five days of rest instead of four is a great advantage for older pitchers, and decreases the workload over the course of an entire season dramatically.

For Hamels, this could be not just something to make him more effective this season, but also prolong his career for an extra year or two.

Billy Eppler, make sure those two or three years Hamels has left in the tank are spent dealing alongside Gerrit Cole in Anaheim, alright?