Anaheim nears a historic 100-loss milestone, yet a dismal season secures elite draft positioning. The Halos now eye a franchise-altering top pick to accelerate their surging rebuild.
Just two more losses separate the Los Angeles Angels from their first-ever 100-loss season. For a franchise that’s been around since 1961, it’s been an impressive feat to avoid that tragic number for so long, especially in recent times.
The Halos remain the only club in baseball yet to reach that 100-loss mark, though they need to win three of four in the final series of the season against the Seattle Mariners to keep it that way. Never say never when it comes to the Angels, but it’s more likely than not at this point that 2026 will finally be the year – but maybe that’s not the worst thing in the world.
Of course, 100 losses are quite the indicator of not just a bad team, but a poorly run team, and the Angels have been exactly that for some time now. There is hope on the horizon, though, and their record this season actually contributes to that rather than taking it away.
While 100 losses are still in question, the Angels have already clinched a bottom-three record in baseball. Under the current CBA, that would guarantee them the highest odds for the first overall pick in next year’s draft at 19.1%, along with two other clubs: the Colorado Rockies and the Athletics. It would also provide an 87.6% chance of staying in the top 6.
Considering the Angels were ineligible for the lottery in the 2026 draft because payor clubs cannot be in the lottery in consecutive years, a top pick in the 2027 draft will be huge for their rebuild. Their farm system ranking has already been climbing quickly since the trade deadline, and a potential No. 1 overall pick would aid the climb even more.
Only one thing has the potential to ruin this for the Angels: the new CBA. The draft lottery odds previously mentioned came into effect under the current CBA that expires after this season, meaning baseball as a whole in 2027 has some uncertainty around it, with talks expected to be grueling. For the Angels specifically, this could mean different lottery odds for 2027.
In all likelihood, there will be changes to the lottery and its odds in some capacity for 2027 and beyond. Whether or not those changes will benefit or hurt the Angels’ odds is up in the air. So, while the uncertainty of a new CBA lingers in the air, all we have to go on is what’s currently in place – and that means the Angels are in the best possible position to land a franchise-altering player next summer via the draft.
Adding a potential No. 1 overall selection to a rising farm system that has the likes of infielder Arjun Nimmala, RHP Tyler Bremner, and outfielder Hayden Alvarez would be monumental in the club’s journey back to relevancy. A new owner is already inbound in Anaheim, and if the odds fall in their favor next summer, the Angels could have the No. 1 pick heading to Anaheim as well. Perhaps all this losing wasn’t for nothing.
