The Los Angeles Angels can't even rebuild correctly

The Los Angeles Angels aren't going to be good in 2025.

That statement was going to be true regardless of how they handled the winter. They began the offseason as pretty much the only team interested in doing anything, then sat on their hands for months.

Finally, they've woken back up here in February, signing Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson to potentially represent the left side of their infield. Likewise, they've also added a veteran closer to give some pointers to young fireballer Ben Joyce.

In total, the Angels have added Moncada, Anderson, and Kevin Newman to their infield. Free agent Travis d'Arnaud will be the backup to Logan O'Hoppe behind the plate. Trade acquisition Jorge Soler should be the team's starting DH. Yusei Kikuchi and Kyle Hendricks should comprise two-fifths of the starting rotation while Jansen closes out games in the ninth inning.

What do all those players have in common? They're all under team control for less than three years, and they're all well past their respective primes.

2025 Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout and the over-the-hill bunch

Look, from a purely team building perspective, these kinds of moves are technically what franchises undergoing rebuilds are supposed to be doing.

The master plan, as designed by the early-2010s Cubs and Astros: Sign veterans off the scrap heap, hope they turn in a good half-season, and then flip them for prospects at the trade deadline while tanking for a higher draft pick.

Credit where credit is due, the Angels have approach the offseason in the right way on that front. They got aggressive early while other teams were negotiating with stars, and then they remained patient and waited to sign veterans without homes deep into the winter.

Only Kikuchi is under contract beyond 2026 (his deal ends following the 2027 season). Soler and d'Arnaud are the only other players that were acquired this offseason whose deals lasts beyond the upcoming season.

That should make the Angels ripe for the picking come the trade deadline, where everyone not named Ben Joyce or Nolan Schanuel should be available for the right price.

There is a problem with how L.A. has gone about all this, though. None of the guys they signed are promising bets to return anything of value, if they can even be traded at all.

Position players on expiring contracts don't often fetch a high price unless they're true superstars (like Kyle Tucker). A strikeout-prone slugger ostensibly limited to DH duties (Soler) and an injury-plagued 30-year-old (Moncada) aren't exactly likely to appeal all that much to teams come July.

Starting pitchers are normally the most sought-after commodities at the deadline, but Hendricks posted a 5.13 ERA last year and has first-percentile velocity on his fastball. Kikuchi, 34 by the deadline, won't appeal to anyone at mid-season given the deal he signed this winter (three years, $63.7 million).

Only Jansen figures to have a strong season and have net positive value once the Angels are out of postseason contention by the All-Star break. Even the team's in-house talent lacks much trade appeal, barring a huge first half from starting pitcher Tyler Anderson or left fielder Taylor Ward.

It's hard to fault the Angels too much given the fact that Mike Trout can't stay healthy and Anthony Rendon seemingly doesn't want to play baseball, but this post-Shohei Ohtani "rebuild" is off to a very bad start.

It's unlikely to get much better once the trade deadline rolls around.