ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Angels were eliminated from playoff contention for a ninth- straight season on Sept. 16. That mark ties the Detroit Tigers for the longest playoff drought in baseball.
The impending free agency of two-way star Shohei Ohtani and outfielder Mike Trout’s uncertain trade status will weigh heavy on the Angels’ front office during this offseason. Manager Phil Nevin is expected to be on his way out, and GM Perry Minasian has a split chance of coming back.
With all of these questions looming over the Angels’ front office, what should they do?
First off, singing Ohtani is obviously the #1 priority. The Angels need to bend over backward in order to convince him to stay, but it’s pretty easy to see him leaving for another team. Trading Trout is ultimately up to the three-time MVP, as the Angels have said they won’t trade him unless he requests to be moved.
Besides Ohtani, outfielder Randal Grichuk and infielders Gio Urshela, C.J. Cron and Mike Moustakas are all unrestricted free agents. Infielder Eduardo Escobar and reliever Aaron Loup have hefty club options that should be declined to lower the Angels’ payroll.
Urshela and Moustakas should be looked at to be brought back, as their production helped the Angels’ lineup and they brought a veteran presence to the locker room. As for the others, their production shouldn’t excite the front office.
With that being said, the Angels should play their young players as much as possible next season to focus on their development. The Angels have plenty of 26-year-old and younger players they can trot out there in outfielders Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell; infielders Nolan Schanuel, Zach Neto and Luis Reignifo; and catcher Logan O’Hoppe. Letting them play and develop would do wonders for the Angels’ future.
On the pitching side, Patrick Sandoval, Reid Detmers and Chase Silseth are all starters 26 years old and younger while Ben Joyce and Jose Soriano are young pieces to work with in the bullpen.
Realistically, the Angels shouldn’t dish out any big contracts this offseason. Instead, Arte Moreno should spend his money on the developmental side by building up a farm system. The Angels have one of the worst farm systems in baseball and should focus on building up a core for the future.
If Moreno wants to spend money, he should spend it on productive players who won’t cost a fortune. The Angels have some holes to fill and should look to make more deals such as infielder Brandon Drury’s deal last offseason.
The Angels are unfortunately stuck in no man’s land in terms of the franchise’s direction. Their weak farm system warrants a sell and rebuild, but that’s never happened under Arte Moreno.
Speaking of Moreno, will he potentially sell the Angels if Ohtani and Trout decide to leave? His whole tenure has been marred in scandals and disappointment during the last decade. He almost sold the team last season but got cold feet and decided to keep the team.
What the Angels do this offseason after Ohtani and Trout’s decision is anyone’s guess, but focusing on playing their young players next season should be the goal for the team’s future.