The Los Angeles Angels have been the busiest team this offseason. What is their plan for 2025?

If the early birds catch the worm, the Los Angeles Angels should open a bait shop.

So far this offseason, 12 free agents have signed deals with MLB. Here they are:

Of the seven players who found new teams, four are now seeking housing in Orange County, California. That’s because no team in baseball has been more active so far this winter than the cellar-dwelling Los Angeles Angels, who lost 99 games and had the longest playoff drought in the MLB.

On Monday, they caught the biggest fish of free agency so far: left-handed starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi. The 33-year-old Japanese had a rough first half in Toronto in 2024, but shined after a deadline deal sent him to Houston. He struggled to achieve consistent success throughout his six-year MLB career, but showed the upside of a true frontline starter, something the Angels desperately need.

The Halos, who haven’t reached the playoffs since an ALDS loss in 2014, just completed their first season in the post-Shohei-Ohtani era. Unsurprisingly, this didn’t go well; their 99 losses represented the worst season in franchise history.

Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, the club’s two highest-paid players, were once again hampered by injuries. The fallen stars have only appeared side-by-side in the starting lineup 19 times in 2024, despite accounting for 43% of the team’s $176 million payroll. Since the Angels signed Rendon before the 2020 season, he and Trout have started together in just 23% of the team’s games.

Beyond that injured duo, the 2024 Angels lacked depth, impact and direction. In late September, first-year manager Ron Washington told the LA Times that the team “forgot to bring real baseball players into the organization.” Nothing against these guys here, but they’re not big league baseball players, and they certainly can’t help us win a championship. He later walked back his comments, but the message was clear: the Angels were not about to argue.

So why was the team so active at the start of winter? Why did general manager Perry Minasian commit $32 million to next season’s payroll before Thanksgiving? What exactly are the angels doing here?

The answer starts at the top, with owner Arte Moreno. The much-maligned business mogul, owner of the club since 2003, has always shown his willingness to invest in major league payrolls. However, under Moreno’s leadership, the Angels have gained a reputation for being stingy elsewhere within the organization, particularly when it comes to player development.

Moreno, who turns 79 next year, was never interested in embarking on a traditional teardown rebuild. Maybe that’s why he deserves some credit. However, league insiders universally view the Angels as a rickety operation, with no plan or destination, too focused on the present and not enough on the future. The team’s recent track record of moving quickly to the first draft and moving up the minor league ranks at a breakneck pace only reinforces that belief.

So when Moreno decided to extend Minasian, whose contract expired after the 2024 season, through 2026, the mandate was clear: keep the big league team competitive.

This questionable directive appears to be the main reason behind the Angels’ recent signing spree. In just a few weeks, Minasian signed a likely Opening Day starter (Kikuchi), a well-respected backup catcher with an underrated bat (d’Arnaud), a utility infielder who was sneakily solid the last year (Newman) and a veteran pitcher. who can mop up the sleeves (Hendricks).

And there are, even amid the catastrophe of 2024, reasons for optimism. A solid young core is forming around shortstop Zach Neto and catcher Logan O’Hoppe. Flame-throwing reliever Ben Joyce hit 105.5 mph during an electrifying run in August. The Angeles’ first pick in the last draft, second baseman Christian Moore, incinerated the minor leagues last summer. There are a handful of encouraging pitching prospects in the upper minors.

Someone employed by the Angels might squint, pray and daydream about a relatively competitive roster in 2025. Minasian, Moreno and their new additions will surely point to the 2024 Royals, who, after a very aggressive offseason, have improved by 30 games and sneaked into the playoffs. And what’s more, it’s difficult to criticize a team that “goes for it”. A few new additions to the coaching staff could improve the culture. The American League West looks more fragile than it has in years; Although the Angels are unlikely to win the division crown, they will appreciate these additional victories against less formidable opponents.

Yet the consensus around baseball remains that the Angels will not be competitive next season. The list is too superficial, too dependent on the health of two dilapidated cornerstones. The front office has not shown the ability to suck value out of the hidden corners of the sport. Besides the Angels, only the Rays and White Sox finished awards season without a single player receiving a Cy Young or MVP vote.

It’s hard to envision a scenario in which the 2025 Angels break their schneid and reach the promised land of the playoffs. Yet the Halos will continue to advance through the darkness, armed with a handful of new players and the power of irrational self-confidence, hoping that there is a light somewhere.

Good speed.