The day that every Angels fan had dreaded since the season ended has arrived: reigning two-time American League MVP Shohei Ohtani has agreed to a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ohtani revealed the post via Instagram. The Angels are now missing one of their two generational superstars, leaving Mike Trout alone in Anaheim once again.
During Ohtani’s time with the Angels, they failed to make the playoffs or even have a winning season. The closest they ever got was in Ohtani’s rookie year of 2018, when they ended 80-82, 23 games behind first place in the AL West and 16 games out of the Wild Card.
After having two of the best players in baseball history, Ohtani’s stay with the Angels will be remembered as an organizational failure, with an inability to win now or prepare for the future. This will fall on owner Arte Moreno’s shoulders for the rest of his time with the team.
The Angels repeatedly failed Ohtani, and now he’s gone. Everyone is wondering what will happen next.
Here’s all you need to know about where the Angels stand and what can happen next in their offseason.
What is Mike Trout’s status with the Angels?
Before Ohtani joined the Angels in 2018, Trout was the franchise’s star. Trout was a two-time AL MVP, a four-time Silver Slugger, and a five-time All-Star.
While Trout has been successful with the Angels, the monkey on his back throughout his career has been the fact that he has only made the playoffs once, in 2014, when the Angels finished with the best record in the MLB but were swept by the Kansas City Royals.
Trout hit a home homer and went 1-12 in the postseason.
Since then, the baseball world has been starved of seeing Trout in the playoffs; the Angels must try to change that.
Earlier this week, Angels general manager Perry Minasian stated that, with the exception of Mike Trout, no Angels player is off limits. Moving forward, it appears that the Angels will need to find another way to build around the three-time AL MVP once more.
What Does the Angel Farm System Look Like?
The Angels now have one of the worst minor league systems in baseball, having practically gutted it last season at the trade deadline in an attempt to convince Ohtani that they are serious to winning by making an aggressive drive to make the playoffs.
However, the move turned sour. The Angels finished 17-38 and nearly waived every player they traded for.
With a depleted farm system and one of its greatest players gone, you’d think the Angels would consider attempting a rebuild. They are not.
The hiring of Ron Washington suggests a winning strategy.
In early November, the Angels created a splash by hiring Ron Washington as manager of the team. So far, he has assembled an exceptional coaching staff, perhaps one of the best the club has seen since Mike Scioscia was manager.
Just three weeks ago, Minasian declared that the Angels intend to be aggressive this offseason and will not rebuild.
The Angels will only be able to accomplish this in the future if they can entice players through free agency.
Last year, the Angels had a youth movement in Anaheim, with names such as Logan O’Hoppe, Mickey Moniak, Zach Neto, and Nolan Schanuel all contributing to the Halos squad and playing important roles.
Patrick Sandoval is currently the Angels’ front-runner for the ace position, but he battled tremendously in 2023. The Angels could attempt to replace Ohtani by signing Blake Snell, the reigning National League Cy Young champion.
Last season, Snell was 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA in 180 innings pitched, his best performance since 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Expect the Angels to be highly active in the starting pitcher market as they strive to build a much better roster.
To fill in the outfield, the Angels could try to add a few players and shuffle players around in the designated hitter position. Cody Bellinger is one of the outfielders thought to be available.
