Los Angeles Angels: Five Moves to Become Playoff Contenders
By Jason Reed
Despite having reigning AL MVP Trout, the Los Angeles Angels have had consecutive unsuccessful seasons.
After leading the league in wins in 2014, the Los Angeles Angels have failed to put together a winning season. It’s not a testament to their talent, as they have two-time MVP Mike Trout holding the reins in center field. Injuries have plagued the Angels’ pitching staff, and they just seem to have little to no depth. They don’t even have a farm system, as a recent ranking by Bleacher Report puts them dead last.
They can enter rebuild mode, but that would require trading away the likes of Trout, Albert Pujols, and any other valuable big league talent. The Angels likely want to make Trout an Angel for his entire career, so they need to be in win-now mode.
The Angels are going to have to make very smart moves, and very smart draft choices. They can no longer give up prospects like they did for Andrelton Simmons, so their only trade options are hidden gems. They are going to have to embrace the free agency market while avoiding another Josh Hamilton disaster. If the Angels don’t go into rebuilding mode and fail to make smart decisions, they could be very bad for a very long time. The potential of losing Trout and not getting anything in return is a possibility if they fail to win before his contract is up.
It’s not that Trout isn’t loyal, but a superstar player of his caliber can win many titles, and if the Angels aren’t fulfilling those needs he may need to go elsewhere to continue his legacy. With that being said, there are five moves the Angels can make this offseason to better their chances of competing. So what exactly are these moves?