The Los Angeles Angels are about to have resources, which would seem to indicate an abundance of possibilities. Some kind of fast forward is going to happen in their rebuild once the ownership group of Stan Kroenke takes over after the first of the year.
One of those possibilities is about the rotation. It was an Angels’ strength during the second half of the season, but it also raises an intriguing question going forward:
How many rotation spots should the Angels allocate to their group of promising young pitchers?
We already know what the top of the rotation looks like. Left-hander Reid Detmers is the ace, with rookie right-hander Walbert Urena right there with him. That means one slot is automatically allocated to a rookie, which is risky given that Urena’s development next year may not be linear.
After that things get messy. Ryan Johnson certainly earned a shot at the No. 3 starter spot with a strong second half of the season, but that introduces even more risk going forward given how young Johnson is and how much of a roller coaster his brief career has been to date. Do the Halos really want to slot him in that high in the rotation?
There are veterans available to fill those last couple of spots, but that option is even messier. Yusei Kikuchi was been a reliable innings-eater for the last few years, but this year he was hurt, and Kikuchi has been the definition of mediocrity for most of his recent career. He’s due $21 million in 2027. and he could easily be moved.
There’s also Grayson Rodriguez, and he represents an even worse choice. He was able to make it back to the mound after an injury-plagued career, but he doesn’t belong anywhere near the rotation of a team that wants to contend. The Angels would probably love to move him, but they’d be selling low given that he has absolutely no value right now.
The easy answer is to go get another veteran to go with Reid Detmers. Heck, given Kroenke’s deep pockets, go get another ace. The attention would help the Halos compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers, which would be fun to watch and great for both teams.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be Tarik Skubal, either. Sonny Gray will be available, and he didn’t sound all that thrilled about pitching for the Boston Red Sox again. Other names will be out there and available, and the Angels should go get one of them.