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Angels are kicking around a six-man rotation and not because of Shohei Ohtani

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The six-man starting rotation could be coming, not as a temporary respite for a weary staff or an idle experiment, but as a way of life in an industry whose waste product is beer cups and pitchers’ arms.

Forty years after the demise of the four-man rotation, and not even a week after they signed Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Angels are considering a regular rotation of six. The arrival of Ohtani, who generally pitched once a week in Japan and whose two-way intentions would require a softer pitching schedule, has perhaps hastened the notion for the Angels. So too, general manager Billy Eppler said, is the strategy prudent for extending careers of those who simply repair, recover and prepare between starts.

If four days of rest is better than three, after all, then five must be better than four. Eppler said Tuesday at MLB’s Winter Meetings he had this sorted out long before Ohtani arrived.

“I’ve kicked this around in the past,” he said.

Ohtani, who figures to be the Angels’ semi-regular designated hitter when he is not pitching, presented a possible scheduling challenge. A young, deep and previously fragile rotation presented another. The solution for both, possibly, is not simply an extra day or two between starts for Ohtani, but at least one extra day for all.

Eppler went as far as calling the decision to allow – or require – more rest, “a moral responsibility.”

“I can tell you medically that I have had reputable doctors and biomechanists say that a six-man would be advantageous when rehabilitating players,” Eppler said. “These are professionals who went to school for this and have dedicated their lives to studying these things.”

The Los Angeles Angels might turn to a six-man rotation and not just because of the arrival of Shohei Ohtani. (AP)
The Los Angeles Angels might turn to a six-man rotation and not just because of the arrival of Shohei Ohtani. (AP)

In other words, it’s not just him, and not just a way to work around what he says is nine starters capable of earning a place in the rotation, those being Garrett Richards, Matt Shoemaker, Tyler Skaggs, Andrew Heaney, Parker Bridwell, J.C. Ramirez, Nick Tropeano, Jaime Barria and Ohtani.

“We will not use a nine-man rotation,” Eppler said.

In his hotel room Tuesday afternoon, Eppler would not commit to six. He also defended the idea of a six-man rotation for a good 20 minutes, citing short- and long-term benefits, along with his own obligation to the health of his pitchers. He added he’d spoken to other general managers about the plan. The first issue for many teams is the difficulty in finding five good starters. Five is often regarded as a luxury. But six? The second is that change comes slow and bloody in baseball. Many pitchers, particularly established pitchers, and beyond that established pitchers who equate innings and other cumulative statistics as money makers, will resist. They already have their routines, set to five-day schedules.

“I’ll sleep good at night knowing I’m doing right by our athletes,” Eppler said. “If someone disagrees, then I’ll have the conversation with them because I owe it to them as a professional. It is their career. I understand that. If they want to take risks, and we can present evidence and they still want to take risks, that’s for them. I’m going to do morally what I think is right.”

That’s the plan. Maybe. It sounds like it is.

“It’s on the table,” he said. “We’ve given a ton of thought to it. A ton.”

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