Ron Washington Expects Angels to Compete in 2025

Will the Angels finally turn it around?

Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Angels were expected to be one of the biggest sellers at the MLB trade deadline Tuesday. They were expected to trade pitcher Tyler Anderson, infielder Luis Rengifo, and outfielders Taylor Ward and Kevin Pillar, but ended up retaining all four players.

The Angels did trade relievers Carlos Estevez and Luis Garcia, who were both in contract years and were likely to depart in free agency, but could have given away several other players for a good return.

A reason for this unexpectedly quiet deadline is the Angels believe they can become contenders next year. While the Angels have remained one of MLB's worst teams with a 47-60 record, they have looked good at points in the season. The Angels have won six of their last nine games.

Angels manager Ron Washington believes the Halos will be strong in 2025. “No doubt about it,” Washington said, via The Athletic's Sam Blum. “We’ll probably have a busy winter. But no, no doubt about it.”

The Angels do have a solid young core with Logan O'Hoppe, Nolan Schanuel, and Zach Neto along with veterans Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, but the team has been unable to turn that into consistent winning, and Trout and Rendon have been susceptible to injuries over the last four years. The Angels' bullpen has also been inconsistent, and the near future looks bleak amid Reid Detmers' struggles and Tommy John surgery for Patrick Sandoval.

The Angels have not made the playoffs since 2014, so it would take a significant transition for them to become winners. Washington's comments indicate the Angels plan to have a busy offseason, but they will have to make several great moves to pull the team into contention.