Injuries and Ohtani's exit haunt the Angels. Can new signings and a rebound from Trout finally end a decade-long winless streak?
The Los Angeles Angels are itching for their first winning season in a decade. The loss of Shohei Ohtani to the local Los Angeles Dodgers stung, and then the injuries to Mike Trout only made things worse.
Kurt Suzuki was hired as the new manager, but on an odd one-year deal, which also has some wondering what the future of the franchise will be.
Nonetheless, 2026 is an important season, and fans, players and the front office is sure hoping they can get back to playing meaningful October baseball.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report had a ranking of every MLB team and how desperate they are to win ASAP, and the Angels made the category titled, "An Electric Bunch With Minimal Expectations."
The other teams in that category with the Angels are as follows in this order from 21-to-26:
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Los Angeles Angels
- Minnesota Twins
- Athletics
- Miami Marlins
- Tampa Bay Rays
Here is what Miller wrote about the Angels' desperation level.
"The Angels are clearly feeling desperation to win while Mike Trout is still contributing, gathering up reclamation projects this winter such as Grayson Rodriguez, Jordan Romano and Alek Manoah in hopes of at least posting what would be their first winning season since 2015."
So far, the Angels have made some moves that look half-decent on paper, and they are also in the mix for other free agents, so there could be more additions before Spring Training kicks off.
Another big issue is that they are in the same division as the Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, so it's a tough division to deal with essentially every year.
Now, a big part of the team's success would be the play of superstar Mike Trout, who has dealt with injuries.
However, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com predicted a rebound season for Trout, so that could be a good thing if he ends up finding his swing again and getting back to his superstar form.
At the end of the day, the Angels had been playing postseason baseball for quite some time, so going a decade without even a winning season has fans frustrated, and rightfully so.
Suzuki could come in as a first-time manager and change the tide, and that sure is the hope around Anaheim, but there is no secret that the desperation level is almost at its highest point going into 2026.