Three On-Field Obstacles The Angels Must Clear

For three weeks, the Los Angeles Angels' offseason was something of a slow burn, but things have really begun to percolate.

First came the announcement on Wednesday that Kurt Suzuki, the first-year manager who guided the Angels to an historically bad 62-100 2026 season, would not be asked to return.

That was quickly followed by the news that interim GM John Mozeliak, who had replaced the fired Perry Minasian in June, would also not be returning for the 2027 season.

Of course, while the doors have been closed on Suzuki and Mozeliak returning, they have simultaneously opened the ones saying, "Who will replace them?"

With the new Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) group not due to officially take the reins of the franchise until sometime in early 2027, these moves indicate that it's blatantly obvious that they are at least working on instilling their vision for the Angels from the shadows.

But whither the actual on-field product?

The 2026 season's 100-loss fiasco was the first such campaign in the team's 66-year history, meaning there are plenty of holes to be filled.

In an attempt to narrow down the most pressing concerns, on Wednesday, Stephen Parello of Halo Hangout wrote that three "glaring obstacles" stand between the Angels and possible contention in 2027.

While the idea of contention so soon for this team may seem laughable, keep in mind that the Houston Astros won the AL West this year with an 81-81 record, which was only 19 games better than the Angels', so if they could somehow turn three losses a month into wins, they could technically be in contention for a playoff spot.

"The stars are starting to align for the Los Angeles Angels," he wrote. "The AL West was woefully mediocre this season, and the deterioration of the top contenders is only going to continue....On top of that, the Angels have Stan Kroenke's deep pockets set to take control of the franchise. Finally, they'll be able to spend with the big boys, but they'll also have an owner who knows how to invest in the infrastructure...that winning clubs rely on."

The first area that needs improvement is the team's depth, especially in regard to the players' ages. While youngsters like shortstop Zach Neto (25 years old), first baseman Nolan Schanuel (24), outfielder Wade Meckler (26) and pitchers Reid Detmers (26) and Walbert Urena (22) have stamped themselves as a young nucleus, the rest of the roster was a collection of has-beens and never-wases.

In the field, Jose Siri, Yoan Moncada, Donovan Walton, Adam Frazier, Jorge Soler, Tyler Heineman and Travis d'Arnaud (average age: 33.3) appeared in an average of 58.4 games between them with Siri's 0.7 WAR the highest among them while Moncada, Soler and Heineman all had negative WARs.

On the mound, 35-year-old Yuki Kikuchi was granted 14 largely ineffective (4.92 ERA) starts while the bullpen featured such retreads as Brent Suter (36, 41 games), Kirby Yates (39, 31 games), Tyler Saucedo (33, 28 games) and Drew Pomeranz (37, 25 games).

Behind young depth, the overall construction of the bullpen was Parello's second glaring obstacle to contention.

"This isn't 'the Angels need a closer' or 'the Angels need high-leverage relievers,'" he wrote. "No, Los Angeles pretty much needs an entire bullpen."

Finally, for a team that plies its trade within shouting distance of Tinseltown, the Angels possess little, if any, star power. Sure, certain Hall of Famer and franchise icon Mike Trout is still around, but his star has waned in recent years - due to injury more than anything - and he recently turned 35 and has already indicated he will welcome a move to leftfield in 2027.

But where will the Angels' next superstar come from? On the current roster, Neto has had a solid four-year start to his career with a 17.2 WAR and he has some charisma, but can he make that leap to household name?

Looking at the free-agent class, the obvious top name is pitcher Tarik Skubal and the Angels could conceivably make a run at him, but the other top available players - think outfielders Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ and Randy Arozarena, and starting pitchers Michael King, Clay Holmes and Sonny Gray - don't exactly put butts in the seats.

Maybe the future superstar resides in the form of minor-league shortstop Arjun Nimmala or pitcher Tyler Bremner? Both should be knocking on the door of the big leagues next season, but will obviously need some time to bed in if or when they do arrive.