The 2025 World Series was a torturous time for Los Angeles Angels fans. Not only did they have to watch the son of franchise legend Vladimir Guerrero play on the biggest stage for the Toronto Blue Jays after years-long rumors about him following in his father's footsteps and playing in Anaheim, but they also had to watch bitter SoCal rival the Los Angeles Dodgers win yet again.

It’s now the third time since 2020 that the Dodgers have been crowned World Series champions. When looking at the past six seasons of the Angels compared to the last six of the Dodgers’ dynasty, a stark contrast is impossible to ignore.

Since 2020, the Angels finished in their division as follows: fourth, fourth, third, fourth, fifth, fifth. The most games in a season won during this stretch was just 77, a full four games under .500. With great players like Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani playing in an Angels uniform at points during this stretch, there’s simply no reason for zero playoff berths.

A prolonged priority of profit over competitiveness has hindered the Angels for over a decade now. In the rare cases that the higher-ups have committed large amounts of money to contracts, they more often than not end up regretting it. At different points during the six seasons since 2020, the Angels have paid the likes of Justin Upton, Albert Pujols, and Anthony Rendon. All three of those contracts turned out horribly for the Halos, whether it’s due to injuries or underperformance.

Instead, they’ve watched key players leave in search of better deals that the Angels weren’t willing to pay. No player matches this as well as Ohtani, who ended up signing with the Dodgers. Since joining the Dodgers, Ohtani is on the verge of winning two MVPs and has now won two World Series rings.

As a team, the Dodgers have had an entirely different story than the Angels since 2020, and it’s gone as follows: World Series win, NLCS loss, NLDS loss, NLDS loss, World Series win, World Series win. Three championships in six seasons officially make the Dodgers a dynasty; meanwhile, the Angels haven’t sniffed even a winning season.

It’s a tale of competent ownership vs profit-driven ownership. It’s an unfair reminder to Angels fans of what could be. They have more than enough money to be competitive, but it continuously gets misplaced year after year. Despite the big names brought in over the year, the story never changes for the Halos because of the foundational issues that seem to have no sign of going away any time soon. While the Dodgers have their World Series parades in the SoCal streets, Angels fans are busy trying to be optimistic about a potential winning season.