The Angels still need (at least) two more starting pitchers this offseason

Last season, the Angels were one of the luckiest teams in the big leagues when it came to the health of their starting rotation. While hitters such as Mike Trout and Jorge Soler missed time and the bullpen saw injuries to Ben Joyce and Robert Stephenson, their Opening Day rotation did not miss a start until later in the season when Jack Kochanowicz was sent down to Triple-A due to performance. When it came to health, starting pitchers in Anaheim were not missing games until the final month of the season when the team was well out of playoff contention.

On paper, the Angels needed to added two starting pitchers this offseason. Yusei Kikuchi and Jose Soriano were both exceptional last season, and it was announced after the season that Reid Detmers would be re-joining the rotation after a solid season as a reliever in 2025. Now, they have traded Taylor Ward for Grayson Rodriguez in a swap that has recieved praise across the landscape of MLB. But the team's work in the rotation is far from done.

Angels still need two starters this offseason... at the very least

It came out pretty quickly after Rodriguez was traded to Anaheim that the Angels' newest starter would be on some sort of innings limit in 2026. After missing the past 16 months due to elbow surgery, this was to be expected for next season. So while there is obviously hope around the organization that Rodriguez's injury history remains in his past, the team is going to be cautious going into 2026.

Detmers is another reason that more reinforcements are needed. While he has started as many as 28 games during his career, there will certainly be an adjustment period going into the season next year. Whether that amounts to fatigue or injury, the Angels are going to want to find an extra starter or two in case Detmers needs a start covered.

Kikuchi and Soriano both were impeccably healthy last season, as well. This could lead to some regression to the mean in terms of small injuries between the two, and Kikuchi did leave his last start of the season due to cramping in his forearm. To his credit, Kikuchi has been healthy throughout his entire MLB career, rarely missing extended periods of time.

Nevertheless, the Angels are going to be in the starting pitching market until they find their fifth starter. And, if they are smart, they'll continue looking for discount pitching and potential sixth starters to build the depth in their organization for when their revamped rotation inevitably misses starts.