Angels Rumors: Could The Halos Move to a Five-Man Rotation in 2023?

This would allow them the opportunity to get even more out of Shohei Ohtani.

The Angels have wanted to protect Shohei Ohtani since he had Tommy John surgery in 2019. To do so, they've gone to a six-man starting rotation, as opposed to the normal five. Obviously, you'd love to have Ohtani out there every five days, as he was one of the best pitchers in baseball in 2022. However, it's been more important for the Angels to limit Ohtani's workload as best as possible, to ensure he stays healthy and remains off the Injured List.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian was asked if the team would consider switching to a five-man rotation this season.

"I wouldn’t rule it out, but there’s also the if it’s not broken, don’t fix it, right?" Minasian said. "There’s a balance there. Is the risk worth the reward? And it’s something we have all offseason to talk about and game plan for. We’ll have those discussions. I think he can do whatever he puts his mind to."

Ohtani can definitely do whatever he puts his mind to. His former manager Joe Maddon gave him high praise when he said he's never seen anyone like Ohtani, and doesn't expect to see more two-way players like him anytime soon — he's truly one-of-a-kind.

Angels pitching coach Matt Wise, who was not let go despite some other coaching changes, knows his superstar would be open to anything. 

"I’ve never really talked to [Ohtani] about that, but I’m sure we can challenge him to do anything," Wise said. "But we were in a good spot with our starters. We stayed healthy."

Health is definitely the most important thing, and as long as the Angels have enough arms to maintain their six-man rotation, they will probably do so to protect their best player. His health is more important than the extra handful of games he would be able to pitch in.