The Angels Still Have One Trade to Make Before Opening Day

The team really needs to find a back end starting pitcher..

Mar 11, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Alek Manoah (47) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Heading into Tempe the Angels lacked MLB caliber depth in the rotation. The franchise hoped Alek Manoah could somehow regain his form and take the final spot in the rotation. His struggles have led to a wide open camp battle for the fifth spot, but it appears nobody is really seizing the job.

George Klassen has flashed the best stuff, but he' getting hit more often lately and only has one appearance at the AAA level. As of today I still think he makes the Opening Day roster but he also looks like he could use more development.

One thing the Cactus League has made clear is the Angels need more innings from the rotation.

It is too late to add a free agent starter even if that was possible.

Aug 29, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Anderson (31) pitches against the Houston Astros in the first inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Reuniting with a couple of old friends would be a good idea. Lucas Giolito is sitting at home at the age of 30 with a solid track record of success. He's not an ace, but he's more likely to give the Angels solid middle of the rotation production than anybody vying for the fifth starter's role.

The same goes for Tyler Anderson, except he's a few years older and will be a lot cheaper. He's more likely to give the Angels consistent innings in the rotation than Grayson Rodriguez, Sam Aldegheri, or even Klassen.

However, Spring Training exists for a reason: to build up the arm strength of starting pitchers. Each start is progressively a little longer; building from 2 innings to 6 or 7 over the course of camp. There's no way a free agent signing would be ready to help the club until the end of April at best.

Clearing a roster spot would be easy.

Here's where the news is really good. Alek Manoah has a minor league option remaining so the Angels can stash him in AAA and pray he turns back into an MLB caliber pitcher. George Klassen and Sam Aldegheri aren't even on the active roster

From a pitching perspective, there's no chance of losing a valuable piece. Let's face it, if the Angels had a plethora of valuable pitchers there would be no need for a trade to acquire an innings eater.

The Angels most valuable arms are either on the minor league side (Klassen, Walbert Urena, Caden Dana, Tyler Bremner) or have options remaining (Ryan Johnson, Jack Kochanowicz). Adding a back end starter would cost the Angels money but would not squeeze any real talent off the roster.

So who might they target?

Whether they admit it or not, the Angels are in a rebuild and will not want to part with top prospects. But they did recently launch a TV network that should add some money to their coffers so they can absorb a little bit of salary.

Look for Angels GM Perry Minasian to work the waiver wire at the end of camp and try to snag a pitcher who is better than what we have but not quite good enough to make a better team.

Those names will start to float about later this week as teams pare their rosters down to 26 players. Don't expect a sexy name, but at this point the Angels simply need somebody who is capable of tossing 5 to 6 innings of decent ball once per week.