Yusei Kikuchi

Rodriguez has some obvious red flags from a durability standpoint, but it's a lot harder to get a pitcher with his talent than it is a 30-homer outfielder with questionable on-base skills. Plus, Rodriguez is making the minimum and is under control for four more years, whereas Ward is due in the neighborhood of $13 million in his final season before free agency. The 26-year-old reached the majors in 2023 as one of the game's very best pitching prospects, but he missed much of 2024 and then all of 2025 with shoulder and elbow issues. Coming off surgery to remove a bone spur, he is expected to be ready for spring training. Overall, Rodriguez is 20-8 with a 4.11 ERA and a 259/78 K/BB in 238 2/3 innings as a major leaguer. If healthy, he'll join Yusei Kikuchi, Jose Soriano and likely Reid Detmers in an Angels rotation that still needs at least one more starter.