3 biggest hurdles the Angels will face when the 2024 season begins

2) The LA Angels will find out how important starting pitching is

Starting pitching was supposed to be a strength for the 2023 Angels but it turned out to be one of the team's biggest weaknesses. The Angels ranked sixth in rotation ERA the season prior and added an all-star in Tyler Anderson in the offseason, only to then finish 19th in rotation ERA in 2023. That was with Shohei Ohtani making 23 starts.

This Angels rotation was subpar with an ace, and now lost that ace and have yet to replace him. Nothing about how the Angels have acted this offseason suggests they're going to even seriously consider adding an ace.

The Angels have been rumored to be interested in guys like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell who would fit as aces, but their lack of aggression suggests it's nothing more than a longshot at this point. In recent years Perry Minasian has been ultra-aggressive signing players he wanted, but this offseason things feel different.

Even if the Angels add someone like Marcus Stroman or another one of the second-tier free agents that won't be good enough for this rotation which was subpar even with Ohtani. Winning games without reliable starting pitching is so hard, and the Angels are about to find that out.