Angels pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to spring training on Feb. 11. As we count down the days until camp begins, we are going through the various position groups to give a breakdown of where the roster stands. Today, the starting rotation. Previously, the catchers, outfielders and infielders.
2024 RECAP
The Angels had high hopes for their rotation, despite the loss of Shohei Ohtani, because of pitchers like Patrick Sandoval, Reid Detmers, Griffin Canning and Chase Silseth. Each had shown signs in the previous two years of being ready to take a step forward. However, the 2024 season was a disappointment for all four. Sandoval posted a 5.08 ERA and then had elbow surgery in June. Detmers was so bad in the first two months that he was sent to Triple-A for three months. He returned to the majors in September, but still finished with a 6.70 ERA. Canning made it through the season healthy, but he had a 5.19 ERA. Silseth made two starts and got hurt, and he also eventually had surgery. On the bright side, Tyler Anderson rebounded from a terrible 2023 to be an All-Star in 2024, posting a 3.81 ERA. José Soriano was moved into the rotation in June and he had a 3.42 ERA, although he was shut down at the end of the season because of arm fatigue. Jack Kochanowicz emerged with an encouraging 3.99 ERA in his first 11 major-league starts. All told, the Angels had a 4.97 rotation ERA, which ranked 28th in the majors.
HOW IT LOOKS RIGHT NOW
The Angels signed left-hander Yusei Kikuchi to a three-year, $63 million deal, the largest contract they gave a starting pitcher since C.J. Wilson in 2011. Kikuchi had a 4.05 ERA in 2024, but the Angels saw upside in his strikeout rate and the fact that he was much better after changing his pitch-mix late in the season. If Kikuchi can pitch the way he did at the end of last season, and Soriano and Anderson can replicate what they did in 2024 – with some more innings from Soriano – the Angels could have a capable top three. After that, they’ll be hoping for improvement from a handful of pitchers who have shown promise in the past. The Angels signed veteran left-hander Kyle Hendricks to a one-year, $2.5 million deal. Although Hendricks had a rough season in 2024, the Angels believe they know what he was doing wrong and can get him back to his earlier form. The leading candidate for the No. 5 spot is Kochanowicz, based on the way he finished 2024. That leaves Detmers to fight to push himself back into the rotation.
THE NEXT LAYER
For a team that has usually been short in the rotation, the Angels actually feel like they now have better depth than they’ve had in years. Besides Detmers, they also have Silseth, Sam Bachman, Caden Dana, San Aldegheri and George Klassen in a potential Triple-A rotation. Each of those pitchers has either had some success in the majors or been rated as a top prospect. Dana is the Angels’ top pitching prospect. He reached the majors briefly last season as a 20-year-old. It’s also possible that one or two of these pitchers end up in the major-league bullpen.
MOVE THEY COULD MAKE
The list of free agent starting pitchers still on the market is pretty thin. The best of them is probably right-hander Nick Pivetta. Pivetta, who will be 32 this month, had a 4.14 ERA last year and he has a career 4.76 ERA. Plus, the Boston Red Sox gave him a qualifying offer, so the Angels would have to give up a draft pick to sign him.