Los Angeles Angels: Starting pitchers to pursue after the lockout

The Los Angeles Angels have had a nice start to their offseason. While the Angels have had a strong offense for many years, fans all around the sport have begged them to add some pitching.

On November 16, they signed right-handed flamethrower Noah Syndergaard to a one-year deal worth $21 million. On November 22, they signed another former New York Met, Aaron Loup, to a two-year, $17 million contract. Michael Lorenzen was another solid signing as another potential two-way player.

The problem is, the Los Angeles Angels still need more pitching, and they’re running out of quality options.

As the lockout loomed, the market was very hot and plenty of moves were made. Kevin Gausman is now a Blue Jay. Max Scherzer signed a record-breaker with the Mets. Robbie Ray is heading to Seattle. Jon Gray is a Ranger. Corey Kluber is about to rediscover his youth in Tampa. Steven Matz is settling in St. Louis. Marcus Stroman, who would have been a great fit for the Angels, is now a Cub.

Right now, the Angels’ rotation features Shohei Ohtani at the top, with mighty Thor (Syndergaard) in the second slot and Michael Lorenezen third. Some combination of Jaime Barria, Reid Detmers, Jose Suarez, and Patrick Sandoval round out the other two spots, with two of them either moving to the bullpen as long relievers or getting sent down to Triple-A.

Clayton Kershaw is the best option available in free agency, depending on how much the Angels are prepared to spend. While it’s hard to picture Kershaw in any other uniform besides Dodger blue, the crosstown rivals are in need of pitching and he wouldn’t need to uproot his life, should the Dodgers not want him back.

Carlos Rodon is one of the last big names available in free agency, but there is risk there too. While he is coming off the best season of his career, he has had injury problems in the past and his velocity dipped a lot in the second half of 2021.

After Kershaw and Rodon, the free agent market starts to get thin. Zack Greinke is there, but he’s 38 so he isn’t the long-term solution the Angels are seeking. Zach Davies is a solid option, however, not an exciting one. Yusei Kikuchi, Danny Duffy, and Michael Pineda are all options that have some upside, but also come with inconsistency.

There are also some options available in trade. Their division rivals in Oakland seem to be going into a full rebuild, telling teams that they are listening to offers on everyone. That means that Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea, Chris Bassitt, and Cole Irvin are available, and maybe A.J. Puk too. I don’t know how likely it is that the A’s and Angels would make a trade within the division. However, since the A’s have so many starters available, that’s definitely the team to watch.

It’s possible that the Diamondbacks make Zac Gallen available. With four years of control left, he is an enticing option. The Diamondbacks probably won’t be contending in that window, so it doesn’t make much sense to keep him around when he could bring in prospects that speed up the rebuild.

The Angels, like every team, should be looking for depth pieces as well. The Pirates designated Steven Brault for assignment on November 29. While he’s not flashy, he can eat innings. Matthew Boyd was also non-tendered by the Tigers. He is a better depth option with more upside than Brault.

It will be interesting to see what the Angels rotation looks like come Opening Day. The Angels have several different routes they can go once the CBA is agreed upon and teams are able to make moves again.

Who do you think the Los Angeles Angels need to target? Let us know in the comments section below.