{"id":553623,"date":"2026-02-04T04:42:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T04:42:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/553623\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T04:42:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T04:42:25","slug":"starting-rotation-orange-county-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/553623\/","title":{"rendered":"starting rotation \u2013 Orange County Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

Angels pitchers and catchers are scheduled for their first workout of 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 rotation. Previously, the outfielders<\/a>, catchers<\/a> and infielders<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2025 RECAP<\/p>\n

The Angels didn\u2019t get what they had hoped for out of the rotation. Their 4.91 rotation ERA ranked 28th in MLB. The best of the group was left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. In the first year of a three-year, $63\u00a0million deal, Kikuchi posted a 3.99 ERA and was an All-Star<\/a>. Kikuchi took the ball 33 times and worked 178\u2153 innings. He struggled at times<\/a> with walks and a high pitch count, knocking him out of games early. Right-hander Jos\u00e9 Soriano, who looked like he might be the ace after his breakthrough in 2024, was inconsistent all season<\/a>, posting a 4.26 ERA, including nine starts in which he allowed at least five runs. Veterans Tyler Anderson<\/a> (4.56), who pitched through back issues, and Kyle Hendricks (4.76) were both below average, although serviceable. Right-hander Jack Kochanowicz won a rotation battle in the spring against left-hander Reid Detmers, and then he proceeded to pitch to a 6.81 ERA in 23 starts. Once the Angels took him out of the rotation, they tried five other starters, none of whom were impressive.<\/p>\n

HOW IT LOOKS RIGHT NOW<\/p>\n

Only two of last year\u2019s starters are back: Soriano and Kikuchi. Anderson left as a free agent. Hendricks retired<\/a>. Kochanowicz remains in the organization, but he\u2019s now among a handful of pitchers who will be competing for a spot. The biggest addition to the rotation is right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, who came in a November trade with the Baltimore Orioles<\/a>. Rodriguez was one of the top young pitchers in the majors from the second half of 2023 through the start of 2024, and then he got hurt. He hasn\u2019t pitched in the majors since. Rodriguez said that he\u2019s healthy now<\/a>. If he is, and he pitches the way he did before, it would be a huge boost to the Angels. He\u2019s still 26 and the Angels would control him for four seasons. The Angels are also moving Detmers into the rotation, a nod to his success<\/a> (3.96 ERA) as a reliever in 2025. Detmers has been one of the most enigmatic pitchers in baseball, at times looking like an ace and at other times looking terrible. The Angels are hoping that he unlocked the key to consistency in his year in relief. The leading candidate for the No. 5 spot heading into spring training is right-hander Alek Manoah<\/a>, who signed as a free agent. Manoah was an All-Star with the Blue Jays in 2022. Since then his career has gone off the rails because of injuries and ineffectiveness. If Manoah doesn\u2019t win the job in spring training, he could go to the bullpen or Triple-A.<\/p>\n

THE NEXT LAYER<\/p>\n

The Angels have a long list of starters who have shown enough to be considered potential successful major leaguers. The one who has done the most in the majors in Kochanowicz, who was good in 2024. After that, right-handers Caden Dana<\/a>, Victor Mederos<\/a> and Ryan Johnson<\/a> and left-handers Mitch Farris<\/a> and Sam Aldegheri<\/a> have all had limited chances in the majors already, without showing enough to stick. Right-handers George Klassen<\/a> and Walbert Ure\u00f1a<\/a> are next on the list to get a shot. Lurking just below all of them is the organization\u2019s No. 1 prospect, right-hander Tyler Bremner<\/a>. The No. 2 pick in last summer\u2019s draft<\/a>, Bremner could rocket through the minors quickly if he\u2019s as good as the Angels think.<\/p>\n

MOVE THEY COULD MAKE<\/p>\n

The Angels\u2019 payroll is actually still significantly lower than it was last year, and if they\u2019re going to use that money, the best available players are starting pitchers. Left-hander Framber Valdez<\/a> and right-hander Zac Gallen<\/a> are the top two starters on the market. After that, right-hander Chris Bassitt<\/a> would be a good fit. Any of those pitchers would provided some needed certainty to a rotation filled with question marks. A move for any of those pitchers would probably have the Angels sniffing .500, with a chance at surprise contention.<\/p>\n

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