What We Learned About Angels ‘Plans’ At GM Meetings

The Los Angeles Angels attended the GM meetings in Las Vegas this week -- sort of -- and we (maybe) learned some things about their plans for the offseason, according to a report from Jorge Castillo, Alden Gonzalez and Jesse Rogers of ESPN. 

Yeah, so it’s confusing, right? Start with the fact that the team’s representative, interim GM John Mozeliak, is on a contract that expires next month, and he won’t be coming back. That makes nearly everything he says suspect, even though Mozeliak “likes to refer to himself as an ’innkeeper’ these days,” per the writers. 

But barring some “amazing, unforeseen opportunity,” the writers added, the Angels won’t do anything substantive with their roster before the lockout starts on Dec. 1. Mozeliak was in Las Vegas this week to “gather intel” on the trade and free agent markets. 

That intel may or may not have any meaning going forward, but presumably it does give new owner Stank Kroenke and his KSE sports group at least some minimal information on what’s out there and who’s available. 

It’s far more likely, though, that whoever Kroenke hires will do a far more thorough job of getting information and educating themselves about the inside aspects of the market. That’s what Angels fans are hoping for, anyway, as they slowly lean into the idea of having a well-run baseball team to root for.

A list of sorts is being compiled, however, for a new head of baseball operations. There’s a chance that could be revealed before the end of the month, as the owners are scheduled to meet this week and that could be a business item on the agenda. 

Mozeliak expects to get involved once that list gets pared down, per the writers, but again, this is very speculative. The interim GM has gone from a voice of reason who was hired to shepherd the Halos through this transition to an annoying nuisance who’s clearly trying to use his voice and temporary authority to get a long-term role of some sort.

But the Angels are temporarily on pause, as the writers noted, and they offered another quote that was more in line with Mozeliak’s real role. 

"My role right now is to keep the lights on, keep the trains running on time, and that's what I'll do," Mozeliak said, with that quote coming from Gonzalez. 

The Angels did make a couple of tiny moves, re-signing backup catcher Tyler Heineman to a $1.2 deal that was presumably approved by Kroenke and KSE. Former manager Kurt Suzuki was also given a role of special assistant, and that can be considered a gift from Arte Moreno to Suzuki for assuming the role of lame-duck fall guy after a disastrous 100-loss season.