The Los Angeles Angels were soft buyers at the trade deadline on July 31, with the idea that they will compete for a Wild Card spot down the stretch.
Unfortunately for the Halos, they have been eliminated from playoff contention and will use the remainder of the season to evaluate the roster going forward.
When the Angels held onto slugging left fielder Taylor Ward, it was a signal that the organization liked their chances and wanted Ward to be a key contributor. Ward will be a free agent after the 2026 season, so it wasn’t a complete failure that the team kept him, though it probably wasn’t the smartest decision.
However, Ward not being traded wasn’t the biggest failure of the Angels’ season, according to ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle.
Doolittle named each team’s biggest success and failure for the 2025 season, with Los Angeles’ biggest success being shortstop Zach Neto and the biggest failure being star outfielder Mike Trout.
“With a second straight five-WAR season, Neto has become one of baseball's top shortstops at age 24,” wrote Doolittle on Tuesday. “He sat out time early in the season and his numbers for the most part are similar to 2024, save for a non-trivial uptick in slugging. As he has matured, Neto has hit the ball harder more often, while still shining in the field and on the bases.”
Neto has hit .257 with 26 home runs and 62 RBI with a .793 OPS. He was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday due to a left hand strain.
On the other hand, Trout hasn’t been himself in a long time. He’s great when he is on the field, but the problem is Trout has become injury prone.
“During the four-year period from 2021 to 2024, Trout averaged just 66.5 games per season,” wrote Doolittle. “But on a per-162-game basis, he had rates of 46.3 homers, 109 runs and a 160 OPS+. If he could only stay in the lineup. With a move to DH this season, Trout has indeed been more available, but his impact has ebbed. Trout's OPS+ is 115 -- solid, but not Trout-like -- and his slugging percentage is a shocking .417. Maybe it's just the adjustment to DHing, which isn't always smooth. Trout, after all, is still only 34 years old.”
Trout is just one home run away from 400 career homers, so the season isn’t a total failure for him if he hits that mark.