Latest injury to Angels rotation reinforces need to add pitching in offseason

The Los Angeles Angels saw another pitcher go down for the year with the announcement that Chase Silseth underwent season-ending elbow surgery. Though the specifics have yet to be released, the Angels have said that Silseth did not undergo Tommy John surgery and is expected to be back by spring training next year.

Silseth was part of the Angels' Opening Day roster, but made just two starts for the Halos this season. He was 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA and 12 strikeouts in eight innings pitched before the dreaded elbow inflammation landed the right-hander on the IL in early April.

Silseth entered a rehab assignment around mid-June and was eventually activated off the 60-day IL, but immediately got optioned back to Triple-A. But Silseth managed to appear in just seven minor league games with the Salt Lake Bees before landing on the seven-day IL at the end of last month.

Latest injury to Angels rotation reinforces need to add pitching during the offseason

Silseth is the latest in a long line of Angels pitchers to miss significant time this season. LA's lone major league free agent signing, Robert Stephenson, never even set foot on the field this season after suffering an injury during spring training. The Angels are also without Andrew Wantz, Patrick Sandoval, Jose Cisnero, and Kelvin Caceres, all of whom are on the 60-day IL.

Reid Detmers has spent most of the 2024 season down in the minor leagues, and the Angels are now relying on a has-been pitcher like Johnny Cueto to fill out the rotation. That tells you everything you need to know about the current state of the Angels organization. This franchise has little-to-no direction.

But while changes at the top need to be made, there's no doubt that Silseth's injury and the lack of pitching depth in the minor leagues has revealed the Angels' biggest (and perhaps only) need heading into the upcoming offseason. Unfortunately, it's the same thing that has plagued the Angels organization for what feels like the better part of a decade.

The Angels need to make pitching their first, second, and third priority this winter. Relying on retreads like Hunter Strickland and Carson Fulmer to help you limp through a season is a bold, yet unreliable strategy going forward.

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