Could Angels' rotation be saved by former Dodgers, Red Sox starter?

The Angels made their first big move of the off season, announcing Reid Detmers would be returning to the rotation after a strong 2025 campaign out of the bullpen. Alongside Yusei Kikuchi and Jose Soriano, they form a top three that is good, not great. While the Angels could swing for the fences by signing the likes of Framber Valdez or Jose Suarez, scouring the free agent market for reclamation projects will be worthwhile as well. And there’s a former SoCal pitcher who could be the key to unlocking the Halos’ rotation. 

Dustin May was seemingly flaunted in the faces of Angels fans for years. The once prized prospect of the Los Angeles Dodgers seemed like a sure fire ace to carry the Dodgers’ rotation as Clayton Kershaw’s career fizzled out. He was electric whether as a starter or out of the bullpen. As the Angels scoured the Earth for starting pitchers, May was seemingly dispensable for a loaded Dodgers roster while also pitching better than anyone down the I-5 in Anaheim. While May’s career has not been as successful as it seemingly was destined to be - largely due to injuries stalling his development - his numbers during a career-worst 2025 season were still better than half of the Angels’ rotation.

May posted a 4.97 ERA over the course of the 2025 season. With a career ERA of 3.10 prior to this season, it is reasonable to expect May's future ouput to be stronger than what had to offer in 2025. May missed the entire 2024 season, partially due to an elbow injury but also because of an incident that caused a tear in his esophagus. The latter is obviously a freak injury, and his return to the mound in 2025 was sure to be carrying a lot of emotions.

Angels need to pursue Dustin May in free agency

His ERA this season was not good enough for contending teams like the Dodgers and Red Sox, but the Angels would have been happy to have a starter with a sub-5.00 ERA given the forgettable 2025 season for the back half of their rotation.

May's season was not all bad, as he had starts where he showed flashes of the former top prospect he once was. With a year of starts under his belt, there is reason to believe May will improve upon these numbers in 2026. And even if May does not work out as a starter, he has always been an absolutely electric reliever during his career. With the Angels having no clear internal option to fill out their rotation, May is a perfect bounce-back candidate to bring into Spring Training to compete for a starting spot. While he ended the season on the injured list once again, an off season to get healthy and zero in on his development could turn Dustin May into the pitcher Angels fans once dreamed of having.