The Angels officially announce who their 5th starter is and who moves to the bullpen

The Angels had one competition in camp that was clearly the most compelling -- the race for the last spot in the rotation. Reid Detmers and Jack Kochanowicz are teammates, but they were effectively each other's foil throughout spring training given that they were pitted against each other for a chance to start. Well, the team announced their decision and it's that Jack Kochanowicz will start the year in the rotation. Detmers, who does have minor league options left, will be in the major league bullpen instead of sent down as a consolation prize .

Eye-test-wise and results-wise, Kochanowicz seemed to have the inside spot for the job since the beginning of camp. In an interview from mid-March, Ron Washington indicated that the coaches and front office knew who would be starting between Kochanowicz and Detmers but they were refusing to tell the media. When Detmers made an appearance as a long reliever in favor of Chase Silseth starting, the team downplayed it. When Detmers made two more appearances out of the bullpen as a bulk-innings arm, it was pretty safe to say they were evaluating how he looked in that specific role.

Given that Detmers has minor league options left, there was a case to be made that he would be optioned down to Triple-A Salt Lake. However, the team will give him the spot that was awarded to José Soriano last year -- the long reliever who is stretched out and ready to go in case they need an emergency start or 4-5 innings on any given day. This move is pivotal for both Detmers and the Angels, as another move to the minor leagues could have broken his confidence entirely and further diminished any trade value he has left. Perhaps Detmers could thrive moving forward with a more diversified perspective of what it means to be a big leaguer. He is humbled here, but not broken by a move to long relief.

With Detmers and Ian Anderson officially winning jobs in the bullpen as long relievers, the last spot in the bullpen (assuming José Quijada is a lock, which may not be the case) will come down to either Angel Perdomo, Garrett McDaniels, or Ryan Johnson. Perdomo is out of options, McDaniels was a Rule-5 pick who would be offered back to the Dodgers, while Johnson has plenty of options left and needs more seasoning. It looks like Johnson's hot streak has worn off, and the team will pick whose Angels career they want to jeopardize between McDaniels' and Perdomo's.

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