Angels Rank In Surprising Spot In 'Way-Too-Early' Power Ranking

The 2026 MLB season officially came to a close Wednesday night, with the Milwaukee Brewers winning the World Series in five games. With their win officially putting the bow on what was a fun year of baseball in 2026, we now look toward 2027.

A looming lockout will determine how much baseball will actually be played in 2027, with the owners and players still seemingly miles apart on a new CBA, but all that fans can do is treat this offseason as if baseball will be played as scheduled.

To do that, we need to take a look at what the league would look like in 2027 based on what we saw this past season. The Athletic’s ‘Way-Too-Early’ power rankings have already arrived before the offseason madness has had a chance to get underway. With so much uncertainty in the air regarding a lockout and the free agency frenzy yet to begin, The Athletic’s power rankings provide a landscape view of the league before we get into it.

Those pre-frenzy rankings don’t benefit the Los Angeles Angels, of course, as they finished the year with the second-worst record in baseball and suffered their first 100-loss season in franchise history. Despite the offseason just beginning, the Halos have already moved down a spot from last season and were placed dead last in The Athletic’s power rankings.

It’s a bit of a confusing move to slide the Angels down from No. 29 in their final power rankings of the season to No. 30 now that the season is over. Most people around baseball assume the Angels are finally taking the steps to turn the corner after Stan Kroenke bought the team for $4 billion.

Rebuilding a franchise that has suffered 11 consecutive losing seasons won’t happen overnight, but I expect some real steps to be made this offseason that will have an impact on the standings. Most importantly, the Angels will be bringing in a new President of Baseball Operations and General Manager to guide the new regime. They’re also looking for a manager who can create a culture in Anaheim after officially declining the option to bring Kurt Suzuki back.

Even if they aren’t able to be big dogs in the free agency market this offseason due to their track record of putting out losing baseball, I don’t believe it could be any worse than what former GM Perry Minasian was doing over the last few years.

The Angels no longer have a cheap, bad-guy owner hanging over the club like a dark cloud. There is a new light coming into town in the form of Kroenke, and a new era of Angels baseball is joining him – that era starts this offseason.

Should we expect postseason baseball? Absolutely not. Should we expect winning baseball? Also no. What I do expect, however, is a stride made by the Angels. New leadership in the front office, the dugout, and the financial means to make necessary on-field changes will make the Halos a better club in 2027. While they sit dead last in the latest power rankings, I believe the Angels will be closer to the No. 23 to No. 26 range by the end of the 2027 season.