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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen
Going into the 2026 season, the Los Angeles Angels are not expected to be a threat in the American League West. They traded Taylor Ward to the Baltimore Orioles, and Mike Trout is clearly on the backend of his career.
As far as pitching goes, it feels like it’s a staff being put together on the fly. So far, the Angels have a reliever making the transition to a starter and two pitchers who dealt with injuries in 2025, rounding out the rotation. That is not a recipe for success in the AL West.
Los Angeles is still in the market for some pitching going into spring training. They could still add a top-of-the-rotation arm before the season begins. As far as free agent options go, they are thin. However, there is one name still available that would be a perfect fit in Southern California.
Los Angeles Angels Tabbed Best Landing Spot For Zac Gallen
One of the top pitchers remaining as a free agent is Zac Gallen. A return to the Arizona Diamondbacks is a possibility, but the Angels would be a good match, according to Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report.
“This is the lone spot where there legitimately are a few solid options from which to choose. Lucas Giolito, Chris Bassitt, and Zack Littell are all out there as guys who could be No. 2 or No. 3 starters in a lot of rotations,” Miller wrote.
“Zac Gallen is the cream of what’s left of the free agent crop, though, even fresh off what was easily the least productive season of his career.”
Currently, Giolito, Littell, and Bassitt remain unsigned, with spring training set to open, along with Gallen, as Miller mentioned. He is right, Gallen is the best of the crop remaining, and would be a good fit for the Angels.
As currently constructed, the Angels’ rotation looks like Yusei Kikuchi, José Soriano, Reid Detmers, Grayson Rodriguez, and Alek Manoah. The latter two missed all of 2025 with injuries. That makes the addition of another arm almost necessary.
Angels Have Payroll Flexibility to Add Another Starter
Los Angeles cleared out almost $40 million by restructuring the final year of Anthony Rendon’s contract. They are still sitting on that money going into 2026. They could use some of that to pay Gallen.
“The Halos cleared nearly $40M in 2026 payroll when they restructured the final year of Anthony Rendon’s contract, but never actually did anything with all those savings. We thought they might be the ones to land Framber Valdez, but now that he’s a Tiger, maybe they’ll make Gallen an offer he can’t refuse. At any rate, they definitely do need another arm or two,” wrote Miller.
The AL West is loaded. The Seattle Mariners are the defending division champs and ready for another run in 2026. The Houston Astros are reloading, and the Texas Rangers have added left-hander MacKenzie Gore from the Washington Nationals. Los Angeles making a move for another pitcher makes sense, and Gallen is the best available. With money to spend, it makes too much sense for the Angels to do.
Scott Roche Scott Roche covers college football, NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com and has three decades of sports writing, covering everything from college to professional sports. More about Scott Roche
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