Angels Tabbed as Landing Spot for Top Free Agent Pitcher

Jul 25, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease (84) is doused with a Gatorade cooler by Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) and Padres third baseman Tyler Wade (14) while waiting for an on-air interview after throwing a no-hitter against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Angels are in desperate need of starters heading into the 2026 season, and MLB.com's Mark Feinsand believes they could bring in one of free agency's top pitchers this offseason: Dylan Cease.

Cease has spent the past two seasons with the San Diego Padres, and his results have been a mixed bag.

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He had a great start to his tenure in San Diego, starting an MLB leading 33 games in 2024 and posting a 3.47 ERA, which is the second-best mark of his career thus far. He placed fourth in NL Cy Young voting that season, but was unable to replicate his results in 2025.

Cease stayed similarly healthy in 2025, starting 32 games, but his ERA ballooned to 4.55 and struggled with the long ball, allowing a career-high 21 homers over the course of the season. Despite his poor numbers, Cease has maintained a high strikeout rate throughout his career and this past season wasn't any different. His 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings led MLB, and he reached 200 strikeouts in a season for the fifth year in a row.

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"His velocity, whiff percentage and strikeout percentage all remain near the top of the league rankings, though walks and a lack of ground balls came back to hurt him at times," wrote Feinsand. "Cease remains one of the most durable starters in the game -- he posted his fifth consecutive season with at least 32 starts -- and he will surely draw interest from several pitching-needy clubs after striking out more than 200 batters for a fifth consecutive season."

The Angels will lose Tyler Anderson and Kyle Hendricks this offseason, and generally underperformed as far as starting pitching went in 2025. They had an American League-worst 4.89 ERA in 2025, and also ranked second-worst in the American League with 8.05 strikeouts per nine innings.

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With the addition of Cease under newly appointed pitching coach Mike Maddux, the Angels would have another solid option in their rotation to start next to Jose Soriano and Yusei Kikuchi, and a much-improved rotation from their last-place finish in 2025.

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