The Los Angeles Angels have featured quite the amount of star power in recent seasons. The ball club has featured future Hall-of-Famer and 3-time AL MVP award winner Mike Trout for all 13 seasons of his major league career and 1-time MVP winner Shohei Ohtani for his entire 6-year career. The only problem, they have absolutely nothing to show for it, as they haven’t even made the playoffs since 2014.
Thier management have shown their willingness to spend as they’re consistently near the top of payroll in the MLB and inked a record-breaking 12-year $426 million contract extension with Mike Trout before the 2019 season. However, they’re deep spending hasn’t produced any results up to this point, and it may be time to start questioning what’s next for the Angels. Below I’ll provide my thoughts on the situation in Los Angeles.
Decent Start to the Season
The Angels had a season to forget in 2022 after finishing 3rd in the AL with a 73-89 record, but things may be looking up as they currently sit 3 games behind first in their division with an 11-11 record. The Angels have had a decent start to the season and if their All-Stars can continue producing for them heading into the Summer, they’ll be in an advantageous position to make a playoff push.
Last Chance at Playoffs?
To say the Angels past few seasons have been disappointing would be an understatement. It’s been nearly a decade of disappointment for the ball club, and it’s time to start asking questions of the management about what’s being done to turn things around. Despite only having one playoff during his career with the Angels, Mike Trout pledged his loyalty to the Los Angeles franchise by inking a lengthy 12-year contract.
This is the Angels’ 6th chance to capitalize on the MVP-level play from Trout and Ohtani together, and if they’re unable to make the postseason, I think it’s time that the Angels move on from Ohtani and maybe some of their other stars as well. Although Ohtani is one of the best baseball players in the world at the moment, the Angels need a complete clean slate and need to rethink their entire approach. Ohtani also has extremely high trade value at the moment, and his next contract’s amount will be enormous.
What Lies Ahead
The 2023 season still has a long way to go, but the pressure will remain on the Los Angeles Angels for the next few months as it is imperative that they qualify for the playoffs this season. They have all the ingredients that they need to make a postseason run but they’ll need to cook everything correctly first. Nevertheless, the Angels will surely bring the same exciting play that they always do to this season. I’m definitely rooting for the Angels this season and hope they can use their strong start as a foundation for the rest of their season.
