It sure seems like this will be the last week of Angels' five-man starting rotation

If you narrowed the cacophony of complaints from Angels fans over the last decade down to a shortlist, the state of their starting pitching would be close to the top. However, 2025 has seen a remarkable level of rotation stability, with the Angels being the only remaining team in the majors to have only used five starters. Compare that to last year, where fifteen Angels made multiple starts, including such luminaries as Zach Plesac, Johnny Cueto and the once DFA-proof José Suarez.

This year’s rotation has been durable, but just decent overall. They sit exactly midway in MLB for rate of quality starts -- at 37%. They’ve averaged 5.4 innings per start, which is tied for third best across baseball. All five starters have had their stumbles, but as a group Yusei Kikuchi, Tyler Anderson, Kyle Hendricks, José Soriano and Jack Kochanowicz have done their jobs admirably, particularly given the pre-season perception that this was a mish-mash of unproven potential and fading veteran experience. 

All good things come to an end, though, and this last week could well be the last time these 5 particular horsemen ride together in 2025. Here are three reasons why:

It sure seems like this be the last week of the 2025 Angels starting rotation

Tyler Anderson could get traded, and the Angels might buy another starter

It’s still unclear which way the Angels are leaning into the trade deadline, but unless they choose to do absolutely nothing it’s likely going to affect the starting rotation. If they sell, Tyler Anderson (and Kyle Hendricks to a lesser degree) should be front and center in the shop window. Virtually every contender could use a reliable starter, and despite having an ERA above 4, the fact that Anderson has taken the ball 18 times without breaking down physically will be appealing. He is on an expiring contract, so whilst the return won’t be massive, shipping him out can only add to the farm.

If the Angels decide to buy, or even to just try to swap some ready-now pieces around, it’s almost certain that starting pitching would be a focus. It’s unlikely that they would, could, or should put together the kind of prospect package to attract, say, a Zac Gallen, Merril Kelly or even Sandy Alcántara, but there are plenty of other arms a level or two down who could augment this rotation.

Best case scenario would involve a little of both, getting a prospect or two for Anderson and a back-end replacement to take his spot. But either way, it would lead to at least one new face taking the starting mound soon.

The fatigue factor

The Angels should be keeping a really close eye on the two youngest members of this rotation. Jose Soriano has been terrific overall, but he may be living on borrowed time. He leads the team with 108 innings pitched in 2025 – only 5 fewer than the career-high 113 he threw last season, before being shutdown with arm fatigue. He’s been wildly up and down recently – two absolute gems against the Astros and Braves have been interspersed with really rough nights against Washington and Texas – and his home/road splits are inexplicable - a 6.07 ERA at the Big A versus 2.47 everywhere else.

Unlike 2024, he did come into this season expecting to start, and there have been no indications that he’s on a formal innings limit, but the team will be monitoring him carefully.

Kochanowicz has been riding his luck in a different way. He’s been by far the least reliable of the five starters, sporting the highest ERA and WHIP and the lowest ERA+. Each of those numbers have regressed since 2024, although he has also eclipsed the 64 innings he pitched last season, with 91.1 so far. He hasn’t been terrible by any means, and it’s admirable that the Angels have stuck with him every 5 days, but a big part of that may be the question of what to do with him if they don’t. Sending him to the minors seems pointless, and although there’s a certain logic to swapping him with Reid Detmers in the bullpen, it could easily lead to a step back for both pitchers. One option might be to give Kochanowicz an opener; he’s struggled early in games at times, and Ray Montgomery’s more analytical approach might see an opportunity there.

The next-men up

We may see some new faces in the rotation simply because the team wants us to. So far this year, prospective starters Sam Aldegheri, Caden Dana and Victor Mederos have all seen time with the Major League team, but entirely in relief, and with mixed results. With two of their predecessors on the prospect rankings Sam Bachman and Detmers finding new life in the bullpen, a big question still hovers over this team – who's next? Dana is currently out of action with fatigue, George Klassen made the MLB Futures Team despite putting up some ugly numbers with AA Rocket City, and although Ryan Johnson is dominating now that he’s back as a starter, it’s only in High-A. There’s a high probability that the Angels take a college pitcher with their number 2 draft pick, but expecting to see them as a frontline starter this season is wildly optimistic, even for this team.

The outcome here will depend on exactly where the front office believe 2025 is headed. If they’re desperate to grasp at any possibility of breaking the playoff drought, then they’ll add at the deadline or just try to push through on a “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality.

If they’re more realistic, and see this year as the big step forward that it is rather than a giant leap into contention, then the inevitable changes are more likely to come from within. Either way, this remarkable run from the rotation is likely coming to an end.  

More LA Angels News from Halo Hangout