Top Rotation Storylines as Pitchers and Catcher Report

Welcome to the start of the Angels 2026 season. With pitchers and catchers reporting to campe in Tempe, Arizona today let's take a look at the storylines to follow as the Cactus League unfolds.

Following a year in which the Angels starting rotation was incredibly healthy through the first half of the season but still managed to rank near the bottom of MLB in most importat categories, the Angels need to see serious improvement from the starting staff if they hope to avoid a third straight 90 loss season.

Here are the storylines to follow through Spring Training.

Who is the Angels fifth starter?

Barring injury, the first four pitchers in the rotation will be Yusei Kikuchi, Jose Soriano, Grayson Rodriguez, and Reid Detmers. After that, it gets a lot murkier.

Alek Manoah was signed to a one year deal but has not pitched at the Major League level since 2024. Last year he only threw 38.2 innings in the minors with most of them in AAA. Walks and home runs were issues in that small sample size and injuries and under performance have characterized his last few seasons. The good news is he's in camp and throwing.

Alek Manoah is also throwing. Playing catch with Reid Detmers. pic.twitter.com/pjCH4RIArH
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) February 10, 2026

George Klassen has the best stuff of any Angels prospect and is likely the closest to being Major League ready. He's still honing his command and needs to go deeper into games on a consistent basis, but at age 24 he's coming into his prime.

Beyond Klassen are fairly familiar names like Sam Aldegheri and Caden Dana who have both appeared at the MLB level in the last year. Neither did very well but there is still hope Dana can blossim into a useful starter.

Reid Detmers as a starter.

Reid Detmers was considered the most polished left hander in his draft; a plug and play rotation piece in the making. Inconsistency was the hallmark of his early work as a starter and he was moved to a bullpen role last year.

After a brief adjustment period, Detmers thrived in a bullpen role over the second half of 2025. Originally known for his curveball, Detmers slider is his best pitch and he has solid command of four pitches.

Detmers has pitched a no hitter and recorded a save. Let's see if he can live up to his draft billing and slot into the middle of the Angels rotation.

Is Grayson Rodriguez healthy?

Nobody doubts Grayson Rodriguez's ability to pitch. Consistently rated as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, Rodriguez features a plus fastball and devastating changeup. If he's healthy, the Angels can expect quality innings from the 26 year old.

Unfortunately for Rodriguez, injuries have been a constant in his career. He did not even pitch in 2025 due to a combination of elbow inflammation and a lat strain. He had surgery on his balky elbow last year and says he's healthy and ready to go.

Rodriguez entering camp healthy will be nice. But he'll need to leave camp healthy or the Angels paper thin depth will be tested right out of the gate.

Is anybody else coming?

Plenty of quality arms remain on the free agent market. A veteran like Chris Bassitt would be a major boon to the rotation. With the Angels beginning to announce broadcast options the team might have a little money to spend to make that happen.

Even the bargain bin has some intriguing names. Lucas Giolito did not work well the first time but his market seems to have cratered. Zack Littell is a guy who posts consistent innings and limits walks. Littell could also be in the Angels budget.

Given the Angels lack of pitching depth and the apparent moves towards broadcast TV money, don't be surprised if the Angels add an arm during camp.