3 pitchers LA Angels can acquire after MLB lockout to help fix rotation

Sep 20, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) throws
Sep 20, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) throws / Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
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Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Luis Castillo (58) pitches in the first inning of the MLB baseball
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Luis Castillo (58) pitches in the first inning of the MLB baseball / Albert Cesare / The Enquirer via Imagn

The starting rotation of the LA Angels better not be finished right now.

Shohei Ohtani, Noah Syndergaard, Patrick Sandoval, and Jose Suarez make the front end and middle of the rotation exciting, but the back-end is very uncertain.

The Halos signed an underwhelming Michael Lorenzen to take one of those spots, and we currently have no idea who the sixth starter will be. It goes to show that this team needs to go after another starter this offseason. There are still productive candidates out there, both through the trade market and free agency.

No. 3 pitcher LA Angels can acquire after MLB lockout to help fix rotation: Luis Castillo

It would be massive if the LA Angels could bring in Luis Castillo this offseason. Castillo has been a really good starting arm these last three years, and was even an All-Star in 2019. He would have been an All-Star in 2020 as well, if there was an All-Star Game.

Castillo has posted a 3.61 ERA since 2019, and has also recorded a nice 131 ERA+. Castillo's 3.56 FIP is attractive, as well as the fact that he's struck out 10.2 batters per nine innings in that time.

Castillo walks too many guys, as he has a 3.6 BB/9 rate in these last three years. He doesn't give up the long ball much, though, as evidenced by his 0.9 HR/9 rate. He'd slot in as the No. 3 starter on the Angels, and give the Halos quality guys in each of the first five spots of the rotation.

Sep 10, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA;  Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) yells
Sep 10, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) yells / Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

No. 2 pitcher LA Angels can acquire after MLB lockout to help fix rotation: Carlos Rodon

Carlos Rodon is someone that the LA Angels have been linked to, as they have with Castillo. Rodon is one of the last big-name starters left on the free agent market.

While Rodon had some durability concerns this year, he came back for the end of the regular season and the postseason, so he's fine health-wise right now. Rodon finished the season top five in Cy Young voting in 2021, a year he was also an All-Star in.

He flashed incredibly high potential, as he pitched to a tune of a 2.37 ERA and an insane 183 ERA+. Striking out 12.6 batters per nine innings, he's the type of power pitcher the Halos could use for sure. His 0.957 WHIP was tremendous, and he allowed just 6.2 hits per nine frames this season.

Truthfully, the only question surrounding Rodon was durability before this season. Whenever he was able to stay healthy in his career, he had pitched well, and that was the story this season as well. While there still is injury history here, it's tough to find many pitchers with higher ceilings than Rodon.

Sep 23, 2021; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Chris Bassitt (40) warms
Sep 23, 2021; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Chris Bassitt (40) warms / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

No. 1 pitcher LA Angels can acquire after MLB lockout to help fix rotation: Chris Bassitt

Chris Bassitt is the best pitcher that the LA Angels have been rumored to be interested in. Bassitt is coming off of his first All-Star appearance this season, although he would've been in 2020 if the pandemic hadn't canceled the All-Star Game.

Since that 2020 season, Bassitt has posted a 2.90 ERA, a 142 ERA+, and a 1.085 WHIP. He was already a good pitcher in 2019, but took his game to another level in these past two seasons. Like Rodon, he has struggled with injuries at times in his career, but stayed healthy last year.

While he wasn't known as much of a strikeout guy before this season, Bassitt recorded 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings this year, which is solid. He would potentially slide into one of the top two spots of this rotation if he headed to Anaheim. He, like Castillo, would have to be acquired via trade.

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While the Halos likely don't want to trade Jo Adell or Brandon Marsh (who are the two biggest trade chips on the Angels), they may have to if they want to go after pitching in the trade market. I wouldn't be surprised, as it's no secret that the rotation needs work, and has been a spot on the roster that has routinely underperformed in recent Angels history.

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