The Los Angeles Angels' 2026 hopes rest on Zach Neto's shoulders, while Reid Detmers' starting rotation spot faces scrutiny after a difficult spring.
It’s now fewer than two weeks before the Los Angeles Angels’ regular season begins against the Houston Astros on Thursday, March 26. Still, there are some big decisions yet to come from the Angels before Opening Day.
The first and most important question that manager Kurt Suzuki needs to answer is how his starting rotation will look once finalized. Left-handers Yusei Kikuchi and Reid Detmers are locks, along with right-handers Jose Soriano and Grayson Rodriguez. The fifth spot is still up for grabs, and with a rough spring for rotation-hopeful Alek Manoah, there is increasing concern about the back of the Halos’ rotation.
That final spot is a concern for Opening Day, but there may also be an additional need for a starter as the season continues. In his recent ESPN article, Jeff Passan claimed he wouldn't be surprised if Detmers moves back to the bullpen in 2026.
“The Angels are trying Detmers as a starter again this spring, a move that is understandable,” he wrote. “At some point, though, the reality of Detmers' five-year career is that he's a middling starting pitcher but was excellent last year as a reliever.”
It’s a plausible outcome for Detmers, who held a sub-4.00 ERA in his 61 relief appearances in 2025. He earned a spot in this year’s rotation, but that doesn't necessarily mean it’s the best for him or the team. As a starter in 2024, he posted an ERA nearing 7.00 and has continued that this spring back in the starting role, allowing seven runs in 8 ⅔ innings.
Though the Angels may be desperate to fill out their starting rotation, filling it with guys that are better off in another role is not the solution. Give Detmers a month or two as a starter, but if he fails to be anywhere near as productive as he was out of the bullpen, the Angels should make the tough decision of moving him back.
Also in his article, Passan wrote how the Angels’ 2026 season hinges on shortstop Zach Neto. Though everybody knows the Halos won’t exactly be in postseason contention, an improvement from last season is vital for the club.
Los Angeles has finished in last place in the American League West for two seasons now, and if the trend continues, 2026 could be the first year in franchise history of a season with triple-digit losses.
The player who can fend off a historically bad season? Zach Neto. He’s improved in each of his first three seasons, and he’ll likely come out even stronger in 2026 after back-to-back 5.1 WAR campaigns.
At just 25 years old, Neto is an underrated name across the MLB, largely because of the lack of success in Anaheim, but he could finally establish himself as a premier infielder in the game. Perhaps the first All-Star selection of his career is on its way in 2026. Most importantly, however, an improvement as a team will be the goal for Neto.