Angels GM Thinks Halos Can Make Similar Immediate Turnarounds to Royals, Diamondbacks

Will the Angels become contenders again soon?

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It's been 10 years since the Los Angeles Angels last made the MLB playoffs, and they look further than ever away from playing October baseball after recording a franchise-worst 99 losses during the 2024 MLB season. After losing Shohei Ohtani in free agency and center fielder Mike Trout for much of the season because of injury, the Angels finished with their worst season ever.

They even ranked below the hapless Oakland Athletics in the American League West.

Despite a historically bad season, Angels general manager Perry Minasian believes the Angels are a team that could turn around into contenders quickly as the Kansas City Royals and Arizona Diamondbacks have successfully done recently.

“For this organization to do that, we needed to have a young core to build around,” said Minasian, via Jeff Fletcher of the OC Register. “And I believe in this young core. We finally have it. It’s really exciting to watch.”

During the 2023 season, the Diamondbacks made the playoffs for the first time since 2017. They were the shocker of the postseason, advancing all the way to the World Series where they lost to the Texas Rangers. The Diamondbacks' young core was highlighted by Corbin Carroll winning the Rookie of the Year award.

The Royals have pulled off a similar turnaround this season, making the playoffs for the first time since they won the World Series in 2015. The Royals have already defeated the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Wild Card, and now move on to face the New York Yankees in the AL Division Series.

The Angels do have a young core, particularly with promising players including first baseman Nolan Schanuel, shortstop Zach Neto, and catcher Logan O'Hoppe, as well as prospects Christian Moore and Caden Dana. These players have all shown promise, but not enough yet to turn the trajectory of this franchise around.

Still, Minasian and owner Arte Moreno feel these players are a key part of the equation for the Angels to become contenders.

“I feel we had a lot of growth with our young players,” Moreno said, via Fletcher. “We are really showing a lot more talent available going forward than we have for quite a few years. We’ve been trying to patch holes with free agents, and it has been working. It hasn’t worked in the way we want.”