Angels Offseason Blueprint: Bolstering the Starting Five

The offseason moves have only begun for Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian. The Angels kick started the offseason by acquiring Jorge Soler from the Atlanta Braves less than 24 hours after the final out of the World Series.

Although Soler is an outfielder, Minasian said the organization’s focus this offseason would be starting pitching. However, current starters will have to earn their spots as Minasian made it clear there won’t be any handouts ahead of 2025.

Tyler Anderson, Reid Detmers, José Soriano, and Jack Kochanowicz were part of the starting rotation last season. Meanwhile, Chase Silseth, Caden Dana, Sam Aldegheri, and José Suarez will have the opportunity to compete for a starting job in 2025.

“We’re definitely going to look at the free-agent market from a rotation standpoint and we’re looking at the trade market from a rotation standpoint,” Minasian told Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. “That’s definitely an area where we can improve. We do like some of our internal options. I believe we’re in a better spot since I’ve been here, just with the depth we have and the young talent that’s been added over the last couple years.”

With Griffin Canning traded for Jorge Soler, the Angels have at least one hole to fill in the starting rotation. The right-hander had a 5.19 ERA in 2024.

Canning, 28, pitched 171.2 innings with 31 starts and had a single outing behind an opener. Minasian was candid about the departure of Canning, who was set to be eligible for free agency after 2025.

“It’s someone who took the ball every single time last year,” Minasian told Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register. “In a year where we had a ton of injuries, he was one of the reliable guys that was right there, ready to go. Even when he was struggling, and he had his struggles, he did take the ball and give everything he had. He’s someone that was drafted here, developed here, somebody that’s been here a long time, that’s made a lot of relationships. It’s always tough to move that type of person, especially a person like Griff. But with that being said, you have to give to get and we felt like it was the right move to make.”

Minasian made it abundantly clear that the Soler acquisition was one of many moves coming this offseason.

“We’re going to be aggressive,” Minasian said. “We’re going to continue to look to make the team better. We have a lot of areas where we can improve. This is move No. 1 and we expect there to be more moves.