The Los Angeles Angels just played another forgettable season, finishing 72–90 and nowhere near the real race. Mike Trout is still the face of the franchise, but he isn’t the same force. He's playing fewer games, taking fewer swings that change everything, and more nights where the lineup around him mutes his impact. The losing has outlived multiple front offices and managers.
Now a new manager steps in with the same old problem — a roster that doesn’t add up.
The Winter Meetings have to be where that changes, or the franchise keeps spinning its wheels.
1. Find real middle-order help so Trout isn’t on an island
Trout can still hit, but he’s not playing 155 games and dragging a flawed roster to October by himself. The Angels need a legitimate bat behind him — a corner outfielder or third baseman with 25-homer potential and on-base skill — so opponents can’t just pitch around Trout and wait for soft contact. A proven slugger who’s actually in their lane financially would make the whole lineup feel different.
2. Add a stabilizing starter instead of another batch of “maybes”
Reid Detmers, Chase Silseth, and the kids have flashed stuff, but there’s no true adult in the room to stop losing streaks. The Angels need one mid-rotation starter who has already thrown 160 innings in the big leagues, not someone projected to. Whether that comes from the second tier of free agency or the trade market, they can’t leave the Meetings without a starter who takes the ball every fifth day and gets into the sixth.
3. Rebuild a bullpen that can actually close games
Too many leads turned into losses again. They need one late-inning righty with strikeout life and one lefty who can neutralize the toughest pockets in the order. They don’t need a name-brand closer. They need two guys who can make the ninth inning feel like an advantage instead of a coin flip.
The Angels have already burned too much of Trout’s career on “if everything breaks right” seasons.
At the Winter Meetings, they either start building a team that wins with him, or admit they’re content losing while his prime slips away.
