The Angels have quite a bit to achieve this offseason. Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com writes that the club would like to add multiple starting pitchers and bullpen help. General manager Perry Minasian said from the GM Meetings that they’re also looking for offense, with preference for a left-handed bat.
“Is (a lefty hitter) the No. 1 pressing need? Is that ‘A’ on the checklist of things to do? No,” Minasian told reporters (link via Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register). “But it is something we’ve talked about a ton. We want to be a more balanced offense. … There are some really attractive right-handed hitters that I’d love to have, that are just good hitters, that I don’t necessarily think anyone cares if they’re right-handed or left-handed. So does it have to be left-handed? No. Apples to apples? Of course, you choose left hand over right-handed.”
The Halos have three pitchers penciled into the Opening Day rotation: Yusei Kikuchi, José Soriano and Reid Detmers. They don’t have much beyond that with none of Caden Dana, Sam Aldegheri, Jack Kochanowicz or Mitch Farris securing a rotation spot. They’re likely to push 2025 second overall pick Tyler Bremner quickly, but it’d be surprising if the Angels were willing to carry him in the Opening Day rotation before he pitches in the minors at all. They skipped 2024 second-rounder Ryan Johnson right to the big leagues as a reliever this past season, but he struggled and was optioned in early May. Johnson built back as a starter and pitched well in High-A but still has no starting experience in the upper levels.
The bullpen could lose its two most reliable arms. Detmers, last season’s top setup man, is moving back to the rotation. Closer Kenley Jansen is a free agent. The Angels presumably would like to bring Jansen back after an excellent season. The four-time All-Star went 29-30 in save chances. He turned in a 2.59 ERA across 59 innings. Even that was inflated by one nightmare appearance against the Tigers in which he gave up six of the 17 earned runs he allowed all season. Jansen is probably limited to one-year deals at this stage of his career, though he could match last winter’s $10MM guarantee.
Left-hander Brock Burke enters the offseason as the Angels’ only reliable reliever. Minasian provided a positive update on talented but oft-injured righty Robert Stephenson, who finished the season on the shelf with elbow inflammation. Stephenson will not require surgery and is expected to be ready for Spring Training, Bollinger relays. Stephenson has the talent to pitch late in games, but his durability issues make him a wild card. The Angels clearly need to add multiple leverage arms.
While pitching figures to be the priority, the Halos have a few questions in the lineup. They don’t have an everyday center fielder or third baseman. Christian Moore projects as the starting second baseman, but he struggled as a rookie after being quickly pushed through the minors. There’s arguably a corner outfield glut with Taylor Ward, Mike Trout, Jorge Soler and Jo Adell — who is miscast in center field and should stay in right, where he spent the final month of the ’25 season. Ward and Adell have already come up in trade rumors. One of them could be swapped for a player at a position of greater need, but that’d be nowhere close to all the work for the front office to accomplish.
The club’s preference would be to add a lefty hitter at one or two of those positions. No team gave fewer plate appearances to left-handed batters this year. Only the Astros leaned more heavily on pure righty bats. The Angels had an MLB-worst .224 batting average against righty pitching. They were 28th in on-base percentage (.299) and 24th in slugging (.394). Switch-hitters Luis Rengifo and Yoán Moncada hit free agency, leaving first baseman Nolan Schanuel as their only lefty hitter set for a significant role.
If they go into free agency for that need, it’d make most sense to focus on center field. Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger are available at the higher ends of the market. Cedric Mullins is a rebound candidate who’ll probably sign for one year.
There are far fewer lefty bats who could play second or third base. If neither Rengifo nor Moncada are retained, the best free agent options are Jorge Polanco, Luis Arraez and Willi Castro. Polanco can play either position but saw a lot of DH work with the Mariners this year because of knee issues. Arraez hasn’t played second base regularly in two years because of limited range. Castro is a bat-first utility player who started the season well but went downhill after a deadline trade to the Cubs.
Players like CJ Abrams, Brendan Donovan or Brandon Lowe could be available in trade. That’d require the Angels to deal from an already bad farm system for short-term help on the heels of a 72-90 season. As Minasian noted, that could leave them to pursue a superior righty-hitting infielder even if it’s not ideal for lineup balance. Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, Eugenio Suárez, Kazuma Okamoto, Ha-Seong Kim and Gleyber Torres are all right-handed hitting free agents who can play second and/or third.
Torres, who is weighing a qualifying offer from the Tigers, was apparently a target of the Angels last winter. Ken Rosenthal, Will Sammon and Katie Woo of The Athletic report that Torres rejected a multi-year offer from the Halos during the 2024-25 offseason because he doubted the team could contend. He signed a one-year, $15MM contract with Detroit. The Tigers made the playoffs for a second consecutive season and the Angels still have one of the worst rosters in the American League on paper.
Same here, Angels. Same here
Is it still early or has Rendon picked out his 2026 injury and summer vacation destination yet?
Double H
Hang nail and Hawaii is what I’m hearing.
Neck injury from his many trips to Disneyland.
Would Adell for Nolan Gorman make sense?
Absolutely not. The Angels need hitters who don’t strikeout over 30 percent of at bats.
27 – …but that defines Adell.
You can live with 27%.
I head they need a left hitting 3rd baseman and the Cards needs offense from their outfield. When using the compare tool on BR their stats are very very similar. Plus Gorman has an extra year of control.
He didn’t play much third base and when he did play he stunk. Oh….and he can’t hit.
For the Angels, it be a dumb trade.
halo – A team can live with a 27% strike out rate of everything else is in order. With Adell, his strike out rate is one of many problems. He should have been traded years ago when he had value as I said many times before. We needed pitching then, we need pitching now…and here we are with no pitching and Adell.
You’ve disliked him for a long time. He should have been traded four years ago when his value was overvalued, now he’s undervalued.
halo – So we agree! And for the record, I don’t dislike Adell. My issue has always been our need for pitching. When Adell’s value was higher (4 years ago), they should have traded him for MLB pitchers who were ready to contribute during a period of time when Adell wasn’t. But instead, we rushed him to the majors without allowing him to spend a single full season at any level of the minors. Any other team would have kept him in the minors to hone his skills and today he could be an all star player. But here we are with a mediocre Adell and still no MLB caliber pitching.
Statistically its a good trade..don’t be surprised
Jo Adell| Baseball-Reference.com share.google/GVE4Ut9Lu05utqNDm
Nolan Gorman | Baseball-Reference.com share.google/RGfSg7eBfw6j6gPnI
One is getting better, the other is getting worse. One had a promising year in 2023. One had a promising year last year.
So no.
Got himself a new set of clubs just in case he stubs a toe in April.
One hip surgury ended Stassi career, which is what hip surgeries generally do, Rendon is the only player this century to have two. He might be the only player ever to have one surgery on each hip.
But you guys will still accuse him of being a malingerer.
Sometimes fans suck.
Bo knows
Mike Trout should move to first base, like Bryce Harper, I know he’s a right handed fielder but so was Albert Pujols. Then Move Nolan Schanuel to left field. trade ward for center field help or Third base help, sign pitchers and relievers. Not perfect but better than last year
Brilliant! Then you’ll have 2 players playing out of position. What can go wrong?
Let’s make 3 players out of position Logan O’Hoppe. playing third base.
Mike trout should demand a trade and try to have atleast one playoff moment in his career
I think he’s aware that his contract makes him very difficult to move and that it would be very unpopular to the Angels’ fan base.
Gibby327
Then Move Nolan Schanuel to left field.
==================
Has he played OF in the pros, or the minors, or college?
He played as an outfielder in high school before switching to 1B at his freshman year at FAU, JoeBrady.
Gibby327- “”Mike Trout should move to first base”. He should go back to CF as long as he can field well enough. He is much more valuable there The idea that playing CF is more prone to injury makes no logical sense to me there are many more things those other positions have. like rapid change of direction harder rails, tarps and more. He also shows no signs of production do to fatigue that be elevated by playing CF. Does anybody have stats that show that CF is more injury prone than any other position. Even DH might not be perfect because you may not work out enough and lose flexibility. Playing a position, you are not used to will increase the chance of injury. Maybe I’m missing something, but it seems to me like people say that without thinking this through.
Angels Fans Seeking New Team Owner.
And so is the Nationals
This is obviously a total teardown situation. Angels need to trade Trout for prospects. Hope they find a deal with the Mets, Trout is a Jersey guy and would be a good signing for the Mets.
Trout’s contract plus age and injury history means he has negative trade value at this point.
Plus the Mets have Soto in right.
Trout is going to have a Monster year. in 2026
Two weeks that everyone will remember.
Can’t. Trout’s contract is considerably underwater – they’d get little to nothing in return and eat a large portion. And he has a no-trade.
Jinx!
Trout has a full no trade claus. He’s not and he doesn’t want to go anywhere else.
A jersey guy who is closer to Philly than NY. I love how ppl just assume Jersey cause it’s Jersey everything is centered around NY. The part of Jersey he is from is nowhere near NYC. He could probably get to Baltimore faster than NYC with the North Jersey traffic on the turnpike.and the BQE.
He’s from Millville and would by default be a Philly fan growing up.
So your saying The Angels should trade Mike Trout for Bryce Harper? Where did you get your source bro?
steelerbravenation
A jersey guy who is closer to Philly than NY.
========================
I still think he is a great fit for Philly, even if extremely risky. Given the proximity to NJ, and the chances of Philly winning a WS, he might waive his NTC.
Then it’s just a matter of how much salary LAA eats.
JoeBrady, stop being contrarian for the sake of being contrarian, my goodness.
Trout is not leaving the Angels.
He’s already signed well into retirement lol
Angels need to trade Trout for prospects.
=======================
Sarcasm?
The problem with a Trout trade is that you get no prospects and you have to eat a boatload of money. Objectively it’s the correct call for the franchise but an absolute PR disaster.
A contract he agreed to.For that last time. Trout has a FULL NO TRADE CONTRACT.
Has he ever mentioned he would like to be traded? NO
Does he love playing in Anaheim? YES
Does he love Angel Fans? YES.
Does he want to leave Anaheim? NO.
For that last time. Trout has a FULL NO TRADE CONTRACT.
===================
And for the last time, players are allowed to change their minds.
Good lort will people stop talking about trading Trout!!! FFS!!
Why any fan of the Angels continues to use their hard earned dollars on a team that clearly doesn’t care about their fans is beyond me. That is from a life long Angels fan who hasn’t been to a game or spring training in over two years. I’ll spend my money wisely when they do. I respect the Cubs fans immensely for their unflagging support of the Cubs for decades without making the playoffs.
But the Cubs had and have personality and traditions. The Angels organization has none. Well, there is the Rally Monkey. I say get the monkey off our back. Get a new PR team to get the players into the media so the fans know more about them and can relate to them. Get a media personality to call the games – tv and radio – make the team interesting to follow. Go back to classic uniforms and make the baseball experience at the ballpark special – rather than close everything down by the end of the 4th inning. Treat the fans like they are special rather than they are doing you a favor by showing up and spending their money.
Yes. I think the Angels management sucks.
People go to baseball games for a lot of reasons.
How you spend yours is up to you. But don’t stand on a pedestal and judge people for going to baseball games
As fellow Angel fan its tiresome to read here and on FB people complain about Angel management
So it’s okay for Cub fans to support the Cubs through thick and thin. But Angel fans shouldn’t? Terry Smith and Mark Langston are good commentators on the radio..My only complaint is Arte should hire an actual Baseball President to run the team instead of a Frat Brother.
I think Sciosia would be good choice.
AbaddaBingWhater: “its tiresome to read here and on FB people complain about Angel management”
It’s more tiresome to see a team in the nations second largest market not win a playoff game in 16 years…or even have a winning season in 10 years. It’s also tiresome to be embarrassed by bribery and drug scandals. I like Terry and Mark too…. but you should probably stick with Trent Rush and Roger lodge (they won’t tire you out by bothering with reality)
SealBeach-And some people just love to complain about anything and everything.
Go follow the Dodgers. They do everything you like.
I’ll stick with the team I grew up with. rather than be a band wagon type.
No one likes it when the team they root for looses obviously.
But it doesn’t happen over night.
They have it good core of young players. They are headed in the right direction.
Btw I don’t what you’re referring to everything gets closed down by the 4th inning. And what do you do to make a fan feel special?
AbaddaBingWhatever: “And some people just love to complain about anything and everything.”
Like going 16 years without a single playoff game win in the MLB’s second largest market? Drug scandals? Bribery scandals? Back-to-back 90 loss seasons? One of the worst farm systems in the MLB?
AbaddaBingWhatever: “I’ll stick with the team I grew up with. rather than be a band wagon type.”
I’m pretty sure that still being an Angels fan after 16 years without a playoff game win gives me immunity from the “bandwagon type” accusation.
AbaddaBingWhatever: “No one likes it when the team they root for looses obviously. But it doesn’t happen over night.”
For the Angels, you should change your comment to “it doesn’t happen ever as long as Moreno owns the team.”
AbaddaBingWhatever: “They are headed in the right direction.”
Well only if you ignore the back-to-back 90 loss seasons and all the other issues.
AbaddaBingWhatever: “I don’t what you’re referring to everything gets closed down by the 4th inning.”
Well, I’m not the one that said it….you should ask them.
This team is a joke. If you want to pretend otherwise, then tune in to Roger Lodge or take Trent Rush seriously. They wont tolerate any negative comments about the team or their boss. You could also try plugging your ears and saying “na na na na na” over again. Good luck to you!
I’m not an Angels fan, but my brother, his kids and my mother are. So we go to a lot of games at the Big A and they’re fun. I’ve never seen anything closed by the 4th inning. I love their fireworks and drone displays. They have live music on the weekends and their helmet nachos are so damn addictive, same with those stupidly expensive Cathy’s Cookies!
We go to at least 10 games during the season.
Yankee Stadium use to have nachos where you’d get a decent sized bag of corn chips, they put it in a box and slice it open in the front, and then add whatever you asked for, and they weren’t cheap. I think it was $7.50. And that’s like 3x the meal as a dirt-water dog costing the same amount. Alas, it disappeared.
The Angels management sucks? That’s giving them too much credit.
Angels “fans” that show up to watch sub .500 baseball for a solid decade in a big market just enable Moreno to continue making money while putting out a garbage product. Many college-age fans can’t remember the last time the Angels won a playoff game. There are high schoolers that can’t remember the Angels ever having a winning season.
I’ve done my best to make sure that Moreno doesn’t get another dime of my money. When new ownership comes in and shows they want to actually build a winning organization….my pocketbook will re-open. They don’t even have to win (especially early on), they just have to freaking try. Until then, I’ll be saving money and watching a lot of college baseball.
It begins and ends with Arte Moreno. Between he and Carpino they know nothing about how to build a winning organization. Arte will never agree to a tear down. He only wants marquee players who look good on a billboard. They have totally disregarded the need for a productive farm system. They haven’t been good at signing international players not named Ohtani. They hit on the number one draft picks this decade but hardly ever develop the other nineteen picks each year. They need left handed hitting but they don’t develop what they have. Until they change the emphasis to drafting and developing the minor leagues players they will remain one of the worst organizations in MLB.
They need another aging strikeout prone hitter so Eugenio Suarez big contract seems like an angels move
Will Eugenio Suarez get a big contract yes he will
But not with the Angels I think Arte Moreno finally learned his lesson ((Anthony Rendon))
A smart team would trade both Ward and Adell for some prospects. Probably Soriano too.
But this is the Angels.
So we can start a rebuild for the 100th time.?
Y’all have a better chance at winning a WS if you start over but if you keep doing Moreno style baseball it will be 70 win purgatory forever
When was the last Angels rebuild? The problem for the last several years is that ownership and/or the front office refuses to admit the Angels need to rebuild.
The Rebuild Timeline:
• 1989–1992: The Angels struggled with losing seasons and aging veterans. This period marked the beginning of a youth movement.
• 1992: Tim Salmon debuted and quickly became a cornerstone. He won AL Rookie of the Year in 1993.
• 1994: Garret Anderson made his MLB debut. He’d go on to become the franchise’s all-time leader in hits, RBIs, and games played.
• Mid-1990s: The team added other key pieces like Darin Erstad, Troy Glaus, and Troy Percival
The Angels have never done a real rebuild. We just suck every year without adding significant prospects.
Let’s whip slate clean AGAIN so we can come on here and read you belly aching everyday. Sign me up
Would you rather lose and put your faith in a rebuild, or would you rather lose without a purpose.
They’ve been losing on purpose enough to be in near-perpetual rebuild mode, JoeBrady.
@halosheavenJJ. They would’ve traded rengifo, Anderson, and kenley for something if they we’re smart. Trading ward probably makes the most sense, and they can get Mullins to cover center not ideal, but it seems like arte doesn’t want to go past a year with deals. Pitching is probably going to be mahnle and/or may. Moancada back at third.
Mahle makes a ton of sense. SoCal guy, worked with Maddux last year
Idk why but I really want the Angels to acquire Garrett Mitchell. Bad luck with injuries (fits the angels mold lol), another SoCal guy, left handed, center fielder which they lack.
Whats with you and specifically the southern part of California
Because the angels are in SoCal?
Sometimes it’s a motivating factor for players to be near family.
It’s a cool thing for teams to have local guys to be able to promote
I’ve thought Mitchell was a match, too. Hits lefthanded, solid defensively, knows how to take a walk, and has decent pop. (And yes, Orange Lutheran and UCLA)
Brewers have already learned to adapt in CF with Chourio and Perkins. Collins and Frelick seem to have the corners sewn up.
The bold idea would be to trade Ben Joyce for Garrett Mitchell. Both are high upside guys with health challenges. Injury risk for injury risk.
But bold ideas aren’t really Perry’s forte.
At this point why even bother….
Welcome to earth. Thankyou for everything farte
Hmmm, a couple of years ago they had the best left handed batter in the league who was also a pretty fair starting pitcher and they said no to his plan to defer most of his salary. How did that work out?
Reason to hate Arte #1
Hahahahaha!!! Ohtani wasn’t ever going to sign back with the Angels even if they’d offered him $1 billion. He wants to win championships, and the Dodgers are a winning franchise. Angels couldn’t even contend when they had him.
Try again. He went back to the Angels giving them the last chance to match the Dodgers offer.
Ohtani signed the largest contract offered in the geographical area he wanted to live in.
fansincethe80s
Which is why his contract is tied to Andrew Friedman running the Dodgers? He obviously understands the importance of management. Because he’s seen the other side.
Ohtani is loyal to people, not teams which is why he gave Arte the opportunity to match the offer.
Do a little research and you would see that his agent said they went back to the Angels and gave them the chance to match the contract.
Ohtani’s agent, the start of the last spring training with the Angels had a press conference where he said Ohtani wanted to work on an extension and finish by Opening Day. He did not want to negotiate during the season, as that would be too much of a distraction. At the end of spring training Arte was asked about Ohtani he said we have not given an offer yet. In fact, I believe the Angels have never given even 1 offer to extend him past Arbitration ever !
What about trading for McNeill. He would not cost much because of his salary. Mets want to get younger and Jett should be ready early this year.
@mets. Wouldn’t mind McNeill. It wouldn’t be for anything substantial, and don’t think Cohen cares about unloading salary. Unless it’s to get a big name in free agency. Have a feeling free agency is going to be slow.
Nothing is really going to happen until the Winter Meetings as recent history has shown.
Seems like a reasonable possibility. Reports are the Mets are open to moving him and the need is there in the angles side. Plus he wouldn’t cost much in prospects because of his current salary.
@simm. Yeah i was just trying to get ahead of the McNeil for neto rumors. I have a feeling there will be more trade this offseason. I dont see alot of teams going all on in free agency. Its going to be tough for certain players. Maybe that’s why beiber took the deal.
Well free agency seems to feel different this year with the pending lockout.
I think players are gonna want big money upfront. Two/three year deals could cost the players money if they aren’t getting paid in 2027 or losing partial payments.
So in the trade front guys on 1 year deals could become sought after.
McNeil for Neto? The Mets would love that.
@hammerin’. You probably didn’t get the sarcasm.
Nobody wants a broken Jeff McNeill.
Trout and Neto to the Red Sox for a lefty bat, starting pitcher and a couple of relief pitchers. I don’t know, Duran, Tolle, et al. It’ll never happen but it would be fun to watch Yankees fans’ heads explode.
Years ago I had a dream with Mike trout. In the dream, I asked him, how he liked Boston. He just looked at me. Yes trout and Neto to Boston, great idea. Mike will okay it, as he now wants to be in playoffs.
You’re better off holding onto Neto.
Just something i’ve noticed reading this article. The angels seem to push a lot of their prospects very fast through the system and apart from Neto it seems to do more harm than good. Thoughts?
My nephew was drafted by the Angels. Two TJ surgeries and one thoracic surgery later, he retired. They were really good to him throughout the process. I feel like Adell was fast tracked and is finally showing signs of his ability. I can’t speak to what happens at the higher levels of their minor league system. I will say that Yeasavage is an amazing story but teams need to understand how unusual it is for someone to do that. Coincidentally my nephew’s dad went to the same high school as Trey, many years earlier.
@chasingamymatt. Really not recently, schanuel isn’t bad he’s skipped the minors. They just haven’t drafted high-school players with higher potential. The pitching hasn’t developed, but im sure thats why they brought in maddux
A lot of teams are doing this nowadays, not just the Angels.
Personally, I would have liked Christian Moore to have spent more time working up the chain A+-AA-AAA. He takes his walks, he just needs to (like the entire organization) learn to recognize breaking pitches down and away. Easier said than done, but that’s what the minor leagues are for.
Another guy, Nelson Rada just hit .323 at AAA (as a 19 yr old). He had over 200 PA’s so it wasn’t a fluke. BUT, it would be nice to see him develop a wee bit more power, and that won’t be possible in the majors.
More teams should be doing this. Maybe it hasn’t worked out that well for the Angels because their prospects just aren’t that good? I don’t know.
@hammerin’. Its because eppler was the gm, and people think its still bill stoneman. The bad picks were previous regimes, and the ones the last five years are too early to call, except neto.
Trade Taylor Ward for Brady Singer.
I’ll sweeten the pot for the Haloes. Throw in Gavin Lux and include a lottery pick prospect going to Reds. Lux is a lefty bat they need.
If I was the Reds I would take that. There is no place on the Reds for Lux to play. They have a lot of pitchers and Ward would solve their problem in the outfield.
He’s a lefty bat, just not a great one. If the Angels want to take on that salary so the Reds can reallocate it, I’m all for it!
I think Singer will be gone with his contract just a matter of who is the return. That would be a great one, in my opinion.
Ward’s value has sunk that low?
He had 2.7 bWar in 2025 and Singer checked in at 3.1. Seems like a pretty fair trade.
Here’s one of the rare MLBTR trade proposals that isn’t terribly one-sided. Great American would be a great place for Ward to hit. And Singer held his own pitching there this past season.
They had the best left handed bat in baseball and just let him walk away. Great job Artie!
Weekend at Arte’s:
Another season in the books. Another 90-loss campaign. And guess who we didn’t see once?
Arte Moreno.
No pressers. No interviews. No ceremonial first pitches. No awkward smiles behind home plate. Just… silence. Like he hit the “ghost” button on the entire fan base. If you told me he was sipping margaritas in Cabo while the franchise burned, I’d believe you. Because from April to October, it was like Weekend at Bernie’s—except Bernie had better PR.
@Johnny Bravo. Last thing I heard from him he decided to not sell the team, because he wanted to bring one home. He must’ve been busy with lawsuits and bribing officials. I thought they vetted owners buying teams, how did he slip through the cracks.
It’s easy, he bought the team before he started getting sued.
@jarred. I said vetted, because mlb didn’t want Cuban, but arte Moreno was fine. I’m sure they could dig up stuff from his business deals in Mexico.
Because MLB knew Arte from being a minority owner with the D-Backs.
@abadda didn’t know that, but makes sense
Bundle Moore and Schanuel for pitching before they expose themselves entirely. Bad drafts have killed the Angels. Bremner appears the same. Look at all the names on the top 100 chosen after these duds.
So basically, they want multiple quality starting pitchers, quality bullpen arms and better hitters; how crazy of them. Should be plenty of guys for them on the market as none of the other 29 teams are looking for the same thing.
The Angels don’t have enough talent to trade away to even start a tear down rebuild. I like Ward. That’s about it. They’d be smart to pour money into drafting, player development and Asian recruiting, using their geographic advantage. Give it five years. That’s the only hope.
You don’t like Zach Neto? He’s far more valuable than Ward.
I always look at the Angels and shake my head. They have the resources but don’t use them well. If they ever got some smart management, they could be in the hunt but they would need some time to rebuild top to bottom.
It’s been a while since Arte handed out a terrible contract. Who gets the big money and then turns into a pumpkin; Tucker? Bellinger? Grisham?
@rsox. He won’t, and that’s fine. He needs to hand out 2 million dollar checks to scouts. Maybe give them a notepad instead of post it’s note. Also please fix the ac unit.
AC Unit was taken care of 2 weeks ago.
@abadda. Were you the hvac guy they hired after the presser addressing something from the mid season from kikuchi, and im sure he wasn’t the only person to complain.
Tucker’s not going to be turning into a pumpkin anytime soon.
So, Kyle Tucker to sign with the Angels… Darn, I got that one wrong.
I think Grisham will take the QO because no one in their right mind will post anything near $20m per… Angels with Maddux aboard may surprise someone by nailing down one of the big 5 arms, like King.
Chasingamymatt
The angels seem to push a lot of their prospects very fast through the system
======================
I’m not a Angel fan or hater, but I’ve been complaining about this for five years. Almost none of these guys are ready.
Even Neto, as good as he is, was rushed. He had a 58/26 K/W in the minors. That’s not awful, but why rush the guy to the majors until he gets the ratio under 2/1?
Adell might’ve been the worst player in AAA when he got promoted. He had a 43/10 K/W, with -0- HRs, in the PCL. Paris was on pace for 218 Ks/600 ABs in AA, and decided to not only promote him, but to skip AAA altogether. Moore has never ‘not’ been on a 200k pace. It was inevitable that his professional pace is now 230/600.
There is a huge difference between promoting guys like Kavadas and Lugo, even though you’re not sure they can hit. They’re older, and their development is limited. But promoting guys that are 21/22, when there is no indication that they are ready, is a waste of development and service time.
@joebrady
Perry minisian’s 1st round picks go Bachmann, neto, schanuel, moore. Its really not that bad if you look at the other players taken where they were selected. Even adell was in a bad first round class, but that was covid class that was affected, and definitely he was called up early, because the minors weren’t shutdown.
I wasn’t commenting on the quality of the draft picks as much as the fact that they are promoted way, way too early.
Adell was 21, Paris 21, Neto 236 ABs, Moore 204 ABs. And for what reason?
@joebrady. As far as lack of depth. It’s the scouts arte gutted. He needs to hire a VP of baseball. Eddie bane was the last legit scout. Minor league teams train in a pop up tent. The angels facility has a broken ac unit, and equipment. Its really not about spending he doesn’t believe in depth, and pitching.
I came on this article to say that. Why push the guys up so aggressively? Neto worked. They were trying to go the playoffs that year so OK—I’ll give you that one. The rest just don’t make sense.
There’s Bachman and Silseth too. Just nonsensical. Let the guys develop or trade them for established big leaguers.
Sorry 2023 was the last year of Shohei so wasn’t really a reason for 2022 Neto. Neto just really worked out.
Bachman had a 6.8 BB9 in AA so the 5.8 BB9 should have been expected.
I should have picked the Angels to sign every obviously bad contract free agent in the contest. Gallen, Arraez, Polanco for starters. Any other obvious terrible signings?
Alonso for 10 years? Bregman for 8 years?
@wadeboggswildride. The last time they went past 4 years was Iglesias(2021), and im not sure if you can count it, because they traded him to Atlanta a year later. So yes the joke is old. If you remember Boggs you might be experiencing dementia.
That is true, solid point. I just keep waiting for Moreno to go nuclear with another bad signing. I do still think they are pretty likely to sign garbage deals that are shorter term. Soler trade for example. I could see Gallen, Arraez and Polanco all going to the Angels seriously.
Reading the prediction chat from Tim and Steve they made a comment that stuck. There are fewer and fewer teams you can pin the obvious bad contracts onto every year now. The Angels have to still be one of them.
That would be a good article for MLB Rumors, if they didn’t mind insulting a few people. Houston, but only for 1Bs. Otherwise it’s the Angels and the Rox, and the Rox don’t sign as many guys as the Angels.
They both have 2 infamously bad owners, so that’s a bit justified.
JB from Anaheim is back with a bold offseason blueprint: Sign smart, trade sharper, and raid the Guardians’ bullpen.
Let’s get into it:
The Plan: Sign Mullins + Polanco, Trade Ward for Hunter Gaddis
I’m targeting Cedric Mullins and Jorge Polanco in free agency—two rebound candidates with upside and playoff grit. Mullins brings elite speed, center field defense, and a lefty bat that fits our lineup. Polanco adds switch-hitting versatility and veteran leadership to stabilize the infield.
But the real swing? Trade Taylor Ward to Cleveland for Hunter Gaddis (RHP)—an 8th-inning weapon with a wipeout slider and a 3.11 ERA over 76 IP. He might just be the Angels’ next closer.
Gaddis stepped up big in 2025, filling the late-inning void left by Clase’s suspension. He’s got swing-and-miss stuff, poise under pressure, and team control through 2028. Cleveland’s got bullpen depth—they can afford to deal.
Why It Works
Angels need bullpen help—Gaddis gives us a high-leverage righty with closer upside.
Guardians need offense—Ward offers power, plate discipline, and corner outfield stability.
Mullins and Polanco round out the lineup—adding speed, balance, and veteran presence.
JB’s Angle
This is chess, not checkers. You don’t build a bullpen by overpaying in free agency. You do it by signing smart, trading sharp, and targeting teams with surplus. Gaddis is the kind of arm that wins you games in August and October.
Let’s get creative, Perry. Arte Moreno in case you’re looking for a GM 2027.
JB from Anaheim
Call me
Unfortunately, rebound candidates don’t rebound for the Angels. They fall farther down.
@Aragon. I wouldn’t mind Mullins the only one that makes (angels sense), besides trade candidates. I have it as another season with the same strategy maybe one 3 year deal. Rebound candidates on 1 year deals, and 40 1st round busts.
They’re a lock for 5th place, until Moreno backs off/sells the team to an owner who’ll let the baseball ops people do their jobs.
@johnny bravo. Yeah i don’t mind the trading ward angle, would Cleveland even want him for gaddis. Mullins makes sense because he probably the only one year deal for center. I wouldn’t touch Grisham even though his homeruns weren’t really from the Yankees short porch, but it could be from the a’s and rays little league stadium. Kenley will probably sign with the angels, he wants to close its definitely wide open, sign chafin, and sign mahle. Should be a decent start. Im going with one year deals as well
These articles are so easy to write. Cut and paste from any of the last 10 years of winter articles about what the Angels need and change some of the names…that’s it.
Stand!
There’s a midget standing tall
And the giant beside him about to fall
I have no idea what that means.
Do you want Jung Ho Lee LOL
@prov. Exactly different names for trade candidates or signings and the bad news comes later we have to try to be positive.
How dumb are the Angels? They have created one of the best hitting environments in baseball and haven’t had a LH hitting slugger since Ohtani. And before that, Calhoun.
They haven’t added an MLB free agent or developed a LH power hitter since they drew a HR line on the right field wall.
One of the Dumbest organization in baseball.
“How dumb are the Angels?”
I’ll tell ya, the Angels get no respect. No respect at all!
• They built a hitter’s paradise and forgot to invite the lefties. Even the foul poles are leaning right!
• Their scouting report says “Bats: Right, Throws: what Money is left.”
• Perry Minasian asked for a left-handed slugger and got a guy who writes left-handed.
• The analytics team said “launch angle,” and Arte thought it was a new tequila.
• I told ’em to balance the lineup—they brought in Anthony Rendon’s chiropractor.
I tell you no respect
It’s tough being me
That’s darn funny! Well done.
They can sell high on Adell and trade him, sell low on Soler and trade him. Sign Bellinger to play a corner OF spot with Ward, play Teodosio in CF and DH Trout. Take a shot on Okamoto, trade for a solid SP, gamble on Dustin May and re-sign Kenley.
Cody Bellinger at age 30? That’s a long-term gamble in a ballpark built for line drives, not launch angles.
He’s not signing a one-year deal, and unless we’re moving the right field fence to 314 feet like Yankee Stadium, I’m not buying the power resurgence. I do like Teodoro he’s a spark plug Soler is a salary dump waiting to happen
Dustin May would be a nice pick up when healthy, he throws fuzz
No one is goin* to pay top dollar for Adel. And since I doubt he’s going to take a step back, by definition that’s not selling high.
The rumor is the Angels Send Scout to Japan to Watch Kazuma Okamoto — But Is It a Baseball Trip or a Bento Tour?
So the Angels sent a scout to Japan. To watch Kazuma Okamoto. Or maybe to check out the sushi scene in Shibuya. Hard to tell these days.
Okamoto’s not Yamamoto-level hype, but he’s no slouch either — a 29-year-old third baseman who posted a scorching .922 OPS in 2025 and looks like a legit everyday MLB bat for 2026 The Yomiuri Giants just posted him, and half the league’s already circling — Dodgers Yankees, Blue Jays, Padres, Phillies, and yes, the Angels
But let’s be real. The Angels couldn’t keep Shohei Ohtani. They couldn’t land Yamamoto. And now we’re supposed to believe Okamoto’s top choice is Anaheim
he’s probably signing with the Dodgers. Or the Yankees.
Who did the Angels draft second last year? They are better off using an Ouija board.
The Angels held a team meeting today. Perry brought a Ouija board. Carpino brought snacks. Arte brought a mirror to admire himself.
They asked the spirits:
“Should we sign a starting pitcher?””
“Should we sign a lefty bat?”
“Is our bullpen cursed?”
“Is Joe Maddon still haunting the dugout?”
“Is the clubhouse haunted?”
The board spelled out:
S-E-L-L T-H-E T-E-A-M
Arte pulled out tarot cards