4 dream starting pitchers the Angels could trade for this offseason

With the good vibes the Los Angeles Angels have procured by hiring fan favorite Kurt Suzuki as the manager, the team could really give fans what they want by going out and trading for bona fide starting pitcher. Fans are praying that spending ~$63 million on Yusei Kikuchi was not a one-off decision by ownership, and that they actually keep investing in this awful run prevention group.

Kikuchi will be joined by José Soriano and Reid Detmers in the rotation next year, and the rest of the staff is completely unknown. Adding a No. 2, or fringe No. 1 starting pitcher would go a long, long way with those three, slotting them down would compliment them greatly.

It just so happens that there are several pitchers who are already rumored to be dealt this winter, or had rumors swirling around them at the trade deadline who would fit into this team perfectly.

4 dream starting pitchers the Angels could trade for this offseason

Freddy Peralta

Andy McCullough of The Athletic reported that the Milwaukee Brewers, who had the best record in baseball this season, might consider cashing out on their ace this offseason. Never mind the fact that he is under contract for just $8 million, repeat $8 MILLION, next year, the Brewers might sell-high on a pitcher who anchored a stacked rotation.

The 29-year-old Peralta boasted the seventh-best ERA (2.70) of all qualified starters this season, the sixth-best K/9 (10.39), and the third-best batting average against (.193). Acquiring Peralta is definitely the biggest pipe dream of this list, but a rotation with Peralta as a No. 1, Kikuchi 2nd, Soriano 3rd, Detmers 4th and let's say Caden Dana 5th is kind of a gauntlet?

Joe Ryan or Pablo López

It's shocking that neither of these Twins starters were dealt in July, but the trade rumors have picked right back up! Joe Ryan to the Boston Red Sox feels like a foregone conclusion, but if somehow, someway the Angels could grab the 29-year-old ace then they could be in a great spot (I'd prefer Peralta, but Ryan is another white whale out there on the trade market).

We are on the record as to saying the Angels should trade for López, and now fortunes have favored the Angels here. Don't forget that last offseason López's value was sky-high to the point that a Nolan Schanuel, Tyler Anderson, Sam Aldegheri trade seemed almost too low for the Twins to consider dealing him. López makes roughly the exact same money as Kikuchi the next two years, and the Angels could get him for far less than last year after the 29-years-old Twins starter only made 14 starts for a team looking to actively cut payroll.

López was fantastic when he did pitch in 2025, and don't forget that in 2024 he was elite at striking out batters, limiting free passes (he had the ninth-best K/BB ratio), and tossed 185.1 innings (13th-most). He was one of the most efficient workhorses in baseball the previous season, and the Angels might have a prime buy-low opportunity here.

Edward Cabrera

Cabrera was a dream acquisition at the 2025 trade deadline, as he is in-line to make just ~$4 million this year and has another couple years of team-control as well. Unlike Peralta, Ryan and López, Cabrera will be 28-years-old next season, but he does have much more injury risk. However, if he can just stay on the field, he might even have a higher upside than Peralta?

He did finally surpass 100 innings in his career, totaling 137.1 innings but he did miss about a month of September with an injury, and his rate stats remained elite. Sandy Alcántara is the real prize of the Miami Marlins, but Cabrera could provide more value than him in the long run.