Angels Could Make Surprising Trade for Top Starting Pitcher This Offseason

While it's no secret that the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers have been doing everything in their power to acquire Chicago White Sox star pitcher Dylan Cease, it appears that the Los Angeles Angels are also in the mix.

MLB Insider Jon Heyman has heard many teams such as the Braves and Dodgers in the mix but also heard that the Angels appear to be in on a possible Cease trade this offseason.

"As far as Cease goes, I've heard from the Dodgers, I've heard from the Angels, Braves, Orioles, a number of teams."

While the Angels appear to remain in on re-acquiring reigning AL MVP Shohei Ohtani this offseason, acquiring as much starting pitching as they can needs to be a priority this offseason.

What Would Dylan Cease Bring to the Angels?

On paper, the Angels have one of the best lineups in baseball, an offense that should be able to compete for a World Series every year.

However, the Angels pitching has been an ongoing issue over the years.

While the starting rotation has improved over the last couple years by providing quality pitchers like Patrick Sandoval, Griffin Canning and Reid Detmers, the Angels are still a pitcher or two away from having an elite rotation.

If they are able to re-sign Ohtani and bring in Cease, this team should be a legitimate contender from here on out.

While Ohtani will not be able to pitch in the 2024 season, Cease would still be an excellent addition to a young staff.

If the Angels are able to acquire Cease, they will have a pitcher who is not only just entering the prime of his career, but would also be a cheap piece to the roster and an excellent piece of youth as he is just 27 years old.

In 2022, Cease was a runner-up behind Justin Verlander for the AL Cy Young award.

That year, Cease pitched with a 2.20 ERA and threw over 200 strikeouts while collecting 14 wins.

The one area that the stats sheet won't show under Cease is that he has never had a major injury in his career and still has a very fresh arm that can go deep into games, which after the last couple of years for the Halos is a perfect piece as the Angels have constantly seen young pitchers miss a lot of the year due to injury.

The one unfortunate thing for the Angels in this hypothetical trade is that it will be a hard move for them to make. 

The Angels have one of the worst farm systems in baseball and nearly gutted what was remaining of it to the White Sox at the MLB Trade Deadline last season as they acquired Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez via trade.

While I'm not sure what the Angels would have to give up for Cease, it would be worth them making the call to see if the White Sox are interested in any of their young pieces.