The Los Angeles Angels are having one of their most active offseasons in years and have made several moves to address their bottom-ranked pitching staff from 2025.
None of the moves have been for star players, and none of the moves have been for position players except trading for infielder Vaughn Grissom.
Los Angeles general manager Perry Minasian has focused on bringing in “reclamation projects,” or players who haven’t had the best luck over the last few seasons and need a change of scenery to hopefully bring back resemblance of dominance that all of these guys once possessed.
Former All-Stars like Alek Manoah, Jordan Romano, Kirby Yates and Drew Pomeranz have filled out the staff but the Angels should consider adding a pitcher who was great last season to pair with righty Grayson Rodriguez at the top of the starting rotation for 2026 and beyond.
Right-hander Zack Littell is currently a free agent and is coming off a career-year, making all 32 starts and throwing 186.2 innings with a 3.81 ERA and 1.10 WHIP for the Tampa Bay Rays and Cincinnati Reds.
Littell’s career looked like it could have been coming to an abrupt end after the Boston Red Sox put him on waivers after two appearances with a 9.00 ERA, until the Rays claimed him during the 2023 season.
“Littell’s renaissance began in 2023, when the Rays helped turn him into one of the more remarkable midseason waiver claims in recent history. He hasn’t looked back since, becoming a reliable workhorse at a time when starting pitchers are throwing fewer innings and teams are constantly testing their starting pitching depth,” MLB.com’s Jared Greenspan wrote Saturday.
“Last year, in his age-29 season, Littell set new career highs in starts (32) and innings pitched (186 2/3). Over the past two seasons, only 20 pitchers have started more games than Littell, who has made 61 starts in that span between the Rays and the Reds. He completed six innings in 20 of his starts last season, something that only 13 other starting pitchers accomplished.”
Littell (with the help of the fantastic Rays pitching lab) reinvented himself as a pitcher you can count on to eat innings and get outs. While signing guys looking to do what Littell did a couple of seasons ago could end up being great, the Angels need to sign someone like Littell who will stay healthy and give them a chance to win every fifth day.
He won’t blow hitters away with his fastball, but he has a five-pitch mix and refuses to walk batters. Littell would fit the low-risk, high-reward label that the newcomers own and presents a stable floor for a team that needs to pitch better.