The Los Angeles Angels made a lot of moves this offseason, but they didn’t get a lot of love from executives around the league. Jayson Stark of The Athletic did a piece in which he polled MLB executives about a variety of topics, and questions, and the Angels showed up on his list of five AL teams that improved the least in the offseason.
This isn’t surprising at all, of course. The Angels have been perennials on lists like this for a while now, and it’s probably going to take a playoff appearance or two to bump them. It’s hard to imagine that happening this season, although there is a path back near the .500 mark if the Angels get a lot of baseball luck this season.
One of the primary reasons the Angels have a near-permanent slot in these lists is Mike Trout. The perception is out there that the Angels are wasting his career, and that’s a case of perception being reality.
“I always put the Angels in there,” said one AL exec, “just because they have one of the greatest players ever that’s never going to be seen in October.”
At least Trout is getting at-bats again. That can’t be discounted given that he hit 26 home runs last season as a full-time DH, and if Trout really has fixed his swing mechanics the way he says he has, he could become a power presence in the lineup once again.
But the Angels already have plenty of power, so that’s not their problem. The other realities that put the Halos on this list include the fact that they have half a rotation, a rookie manager who’s already a lame duck, and a bullpen that will likely consist of reclamation projects who have an extensive injury history.
Add in some serious positional holes, and it’s not hard to understand why no one takes the Halos all that seriously. They exist primarily to catch the overflow in the LA baseball market from fans who can’t get tickets to see the Los Angeles Dodgers, which is beyond sad if you give it too much thought.
But that’s not what spring training’s about, right? Spring training is about leaving your brain behind and falling into the hope and optimism trap. It’s the best time of year for Angels fans, mostly because it gives them the chance to believe that they’re rooting for a real baseball team for at least a couple of months.