Well, it took 14 years, but the Los Angeles Angels finally did it:
They finished last in the AL West in the Mike Trout Era in 2024, losing 99 games. Not exactly a strong first season without Shohei Ohtani for veteran skipper Ron Washington.
The silver lining is that there is only one way out of last place: Forwards and upwards. The Angels have already taken some small steps, namely moving Trout to right field from center to hopefully keep him off the injured list. GM Perry Minasian also made some good-not-great moves in the offseason that will hopefully give the Halos a boost in the standings.
But what actually happens for the Angels in 2025 is anybody’s guess. They aren’t a playoff team, even if Trout manages his first proper full season since 2016. However, it’s hard to see these Angels losing 99 or more games for the second year in a row.
Greatest Addition: Yusei Kikuchi. The Angels are really hoping Houston Kikuchi shows up in Anaheim after giving the Japanese lefty a three-year, $63.7 million deal. Kikuchi was traded to Houston from Toronto at last year’s deadline and was 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA in ten starts with the ‘Stros. He finished with a 4.05 ERA and 3.46 FIP on the year.
Kikuchi is 33 and, most important of all, durable. He pitched a career-high 175.2 innings last year and should shoot for 200 as the Angels’ de facto ace in 2025.
Greates Loss: Carlos Estevez. It doesn’t matter that Estevez was shipped to the Phillies at the trade deadline. His 20 saves and 2.38 ERA were one of the Angels’ few bright spots in a lost 2024. No one player stepped up after the trade, and the Angels went closer-by-committee.
Worse yet, Estevez is now on a legit playoff team. He signed a two-year, $22 million deal with the Royals. His fastball/slider mix doesn’t generate many strikeouts, but he also averaged less than two walks per nine innings (BB/9) in 2024.
Minasian shored up the bullpen by adding future Hall of Famer Kenley Jansen, but Estevez was one of the Angels’ few positives last year. He was missed last summer and he is missed now.
Greatest Strength: A weak division. The AL West is weak enough behind Houston this season that the Angels should easily up their win total. There is a small runway for them to get hot for a short time, maybe a couple of weeks, and do just enough to get over. Of course, that all depends on Trout and the rest of the team’s overall health.
But otherwise, the West could be a tossup and that means plenty of opportunity to play spoiler. For a rebuilding team like the Angels, this small boost could be something to build on for next year.
Greatest Weakness: Shallow farm system. The core of the Angels’ issues is that the farm system just hasn’t borne fruit. Top prospect Caden Dana, 21, debuted last year, but to a 9.58 ERA in three starts. He should improve in 2025, but already has a 16.20 ERA in his sole spring training game.
And behind Dana are a bunch of names that Angels fans won’t see for a while. Infielder Christian Moore (No. 2) will start the season in Double-A. Ryan Johnson (No. 5) and Joswa Lugo (No. 6) have yet to play any minor league games.
This is to be expected. The Angels are rebuilding. The downside is that it means prospects get rushed to the majors, and the rebuild becomes endless.
Is there any reason to be excited about the Angels in 2025? Trout is still one of the best players to watch when healthy, even as he ages. Los Angeles also added veteran slugger Jorge Soler, who had 21 home runs with the Giants and Braves last season. Perhaps Mickey Moniak and Yoan Moncada have bounce-back seasons.
Otherwise, we can look forward to another year of the Angels throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks.
Spoiler alert: Not much.
FOR FULL STORY ON STANDARD WEBSITE: ESNY’s MLB Preview 2025: Los Angeles Angels can only go upward | Elite Sports NY