Angels' Questionable Offseason Has Played Out As Poorly As Many Imagined

The Los Angeles Angels are not a good baseball team. They haven't been in over a decade. With each season that comes and goes, it’s more of the same for the Halos. The offseason may bring some change and even the slightest bit of hope, but the outcome remains the same.

Last offseason is no different from the pattern that’s been forming in Anaheim for years on end. For this, the Angels have been given an ‘F’ in their offseason re-grade by Bleacher Report as we near the three-month mark in the 2026 campaign.

The Angels lost some key players from the 2025 season during the winter, namely outfielder Taylor Ward, second baseman Luis Rengifo, and pitchers Tyler Anderson, Kyle Hendricks, and closer Kenley Jansen.

Along with this, a new manager arrived in Kurt Suzuki, but surprisingly on just a one-year deal. It was one of the many moves of the Angels’ offseason that brought question marks along with it.

General manager Perry Minasian seemingly had old scouting reports available to him during the winter, as that would be the only reason why he signed player after player who were clearly past the peak of their major league careers, or even at the very end of it.

Inking deals with relievers Jordan Romano, Kirby Yates, and Drew Pomeranz didn’t bring much comfort. Romano only lasted 11 games before his 10.13 ERA saw him cut from the squad. 39-year-old Yates has brought the most return, but his place on this Angels team for one season doesn’t actually do anything to change the outlook for the club.

More acquisitions on one-year deals, like third baseman Yoan Moncada and right-hander Alek Manoah, haven’t done anything close to moving the needle for the Halos. Manaoh lasted fewer than 10 major league innings before his 9.82 ERA earned him a demotion to the minors, while Moncada’s career-low OPS hasn’t addressed the club’s hole at third base in the slightest.

The Angels did take their chance to alter their future by trading Ward for right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, but his history of injuries and 8.06 ERA in six starts has been far from an encouraging sign. Instead, it will go down as another swing and miss by teh Angels' front office. 

They also traded for outfielder Josh Lowe in a three-team deal to fill a huge hole in the outfield in the aftermath of the Ward-Rodriguez trade, but, of course, there’s been little return for the Angels.

Lowe has been sent down to Triple-A after putting up -1.1 WAR in 45 major league games, where he put up a tragic .546 OPS. In contrast, left-handed reliever Brock Burke, whom the Angels gave up in the deal, has a 2.91 ERA in 34 innings with the Cincinnati Reds this year.

There was not a single move made during the offseason by Minasian and owner Arte Moreno that has benefited the club for the 2026 season, or in the future. Instead, they spent the winter proving yet again that they do not know how to successfully run a franchise and continuing the tradition of fielding a poor product on the field at Angel Stadium.

At a 29-44 record and in last place in the American League West, the 2026 season is already a wash in Anaheim. Onto the next.