If the early bird gets the worm, the Los Angeles Angels should open a bait shop.
Thus far this offseason, 12 free agents have signed MLB deals. Here they are:
Of the seven players who have found new teams, four are now searching for lodging in Orange County, California. Thats because no team in baseball has been more active so far this winter than the cellar-dwelling, 99-game-losing, longest-playoff-drought-in-MLB-having Los Angeles Angels.
On Monday, they reeled in the biggest fish of free agency so far: left-handed starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi. The Japanese 33-year-old had a stodgy first half in Toronto in 2024 but shined after a deadline deal sent him to Houston. He has struggled to achieve consistent success throughout his six-year MLB career but has shown the upside of a real frontline starter, something the Angels desperately need.
The Halos, who have not reached the postseason since an ALDS sweep defeat in 2014, are coming off their first season in the post-Shohei-Ohtani era. Unsurprisingly, it did not go well; their 99 losses represented the single worst season in franchise history.
Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, the clubs two highest paid players, were hindered by injuries once again. The fallen stars featured alongside each other in the starting lineup just 19 times in 2024, despite making up 43% of the teams $176 million payroll. Since the Angels signed Rendon ahead of the 2020 season, he and Trout have started together in just 23% of the teams games.
Beyond that injured duo, the 2024 Angels lacked depth, impact and direction. Late in September, first-year manager Ron Washington told the L.A. Times that the team forgot to bring real baseball players into the organization. Nothing against those guys here, but they’re not big-league baseball players, and they certainly can’t help us win a championship. He later walked back the comments, but the message was clear: The Angels werent anywhere close to contention.
So why has the team been so active early this winter? Why has GM Perry Minasian committed $32 million to next seasons payroll before Thanksgiving? What exactly are the Angels doing here?
The answer starts at the top, with owner Arte Moreno. The much-maligned business magnate, who has owned the club since 2003, has always shown a willingness to invest in the big-league payroll. However, under Morenos direction, the Angels have developed a reputation for being stingy elsewhere throughout the organization, particularly when it comes to player development.
Moreno, who turns 79 next year, has never been interested in embarking on a traditional, tear-it-down rebuild. For that, perhaps, he deserves some credit. However, insiders around the league universally see the Angels as a rickety operation, one without a plan or a destination, focused too much on the present and not enough on the future. The teams recent track record of rushing top draft picks up the minor-league ladder at breakneck pace only reinforces this belief.
So when Moreno decided to extend Minasian, whose contract was up after the 2024 season, through 2026, the mandate was clear: Keep the big-league team competitive.
That questionable directive seems to be a primary reason behind the Angels recent flurry of signings. In just a few weeks, Minasian has signed a likely Opening Day starter (Kikuchi), a well-respected backup catcher with an underrated bat (dArnaud), a utility infielder who was sneaky solid last year (Newman) and a veteran hurler who can sponge up innings (Hendricks).
And there are, even amidst the catastrophe of 2024, reasons for optimism. A solid young core is forming around shortstop Zach Neto and catcher Logan OHoppe. Flame-throwing reliever Ben Joyce touched 105.5 mph during an electrifying run in August. The Angeles top pick from the most recent draft, second baseman Christian Moore, incinerated the minor leagues last summer. There are a handful of encouraging starting pitching prospects in the upper minors.
A person employed by the Angels could squint, pray and daydream about a relatively competitive roster in 2025. Minasian, Moreno and their new additions will surely point to the 2024 Royals, who, after a very aggressive offseason, improved by 30 games and snuck into the playoffs. And besides, its hard to fault a team thats going for it. A few new additions to the coaching staff could improve the culture. The American League West looks flimsier than it has in years; even if the Angels are unlikely to capture the division crown, theyll relish those extra wins against less formidable opponents.
Still, the consensus around baseball remains that the Angels will not be competitive next season. The roster is too shallow, too reliant on the health of two ramshackle cornerstones. The front office has not shown an ability to vacuum value from the hidden corners of the sport. Besides the Angels, only the Rays and White Sox finished awards season without a single player receiving a vote for Cy Young or MVP.
Its difficult to envision a scenario in which the 2025 Angels break their schneid and reach the playoff promised land. Yet the Halos will continue forging forward into the darkness, armed with a handful of new players and the power of irrational self-belief, hoping theres a light out there somewhere.
Godspeed.