DALLAS — Before Juan Soto signed a $765 million contract with the New York Mets, reports swirled about teams flying out west to meet with him and agent Scott Boras in Los Angeles. The Mets, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers all were reported to be in the mix.
Geographical proximity isn’t necessarily indicative of anything. But there is something symbolic about one of the most prolific free agency pursuits in sports history happening in your own backyard — the nation’s second largest media market — and you aren’t involved.
Soto to the Angels was a fanatical fantasy that not even the most optimistic Halos supporter would envision. A far departure from the organization that built its reputation — for better or worse — on their annual inclusion in these bid wars. The Angels, who bill themselves as Los Angeles, despite playing in Anaheim, want to portray themselves as a big market boss. But their actions have reduced them to an irrelevant afterthought in the sport’s most important deals.
For a long time, the Angels were criticized for only pursuing the very best free agents, while ignoring the other pressing needs up and down the organization. Instead of supplementing those big deals with a solid supporting cast and requisite infrastructure, owner Arte Moreno has seemingly pulled back on his willingness to open his pocketbook.
The Angels higher ups believe that the last couple years have brought some positive developments regarding the growth of the organization overall. But it remains to be seen if the Angels can win with their current model of roster building.
“I say this all the time, I don’t know if people believe it or not,” Angels GM Perry Minasian said on Monday. “You’d be surprised how many people want to play here. It’s a great place to play.”
The issue, however isn’t so much how many players want to come to Anaheim. The more relevant questions are: Which players want to come to the Angels, and which players do the Angels want to bring to their team? Being a popular destination isn’t something to raise a banner about, and it’s ultimately irrelevant to which 26 players eventually populate a roster.
Ron Washington talked a lot about growth in 2024. Is he ready for expectations to rise in 2025:
“I think when you’ve been through something for the first time and you’ve weathered the storm, the expectations go up.”
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) December 10, 2024
The lack of winning will surely hinder the interest of some top flight free agents, who would be wary to sign up for a decade-plus of potential futility. And, more importantly, the Angels seemingly have no interest in even pursuing these players.
After years of stating they’d be competitive players in the Shohei Ohtani free agency sweepstakes, they declined to match the more than reasonable offer the Dodgers made for his incredibly valuable services.
Soto is off the board. There’s no indication that the Angels will pursue Corbin Burnes. There’s no telling when, if ever, Moreno will jump back into those waters.
“Nothing is off-limits from a free agency standpoint,” Minasian said. “We’ll talk about every player. Do I believe we can go and acquire a good player? I think we acquired a good player in free agency this year.”
That answer was in response to a question about the Angels someday pursuing a Soto-like talent in free agency. Yusei Kikuchi might be the good player he’s referring to, but he’s not really who the question was about. And the fact remains: Kikuchi’s three-year, $63 million deal is the richest Minasian has signed in his five offseasons on the job.
“I don’t even want to get involved in that right there,” manager Ron Washington said when asked if he felt it was important for the Angels to be in the mix on big name players. “Then I’ve got to comment on another team’s payroll. I’m not interested in that. You can ask me something about the Angels. I’ll comment on that all day.”
And to be fair, this isn’t Washington’s question to have to answer. In some ways, it isn’t really for Minasian either. Ownership dictates budget, payroll and who ultimately signs the checks. It’s on the top lieutenants to execute that vision to the best of their ability.
There is no denying that the Angels are somewhat financially hamstrung by the contracts of Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon — who will earn more than $73 million combined per season over the next two years. It’s rare for any team to have three players earning north of $30 million per season.
The Yankees employ three, as do the Dodgers. The Mets have a $51 million player to pair with a Francisco Lindor’s $34 million, and a heap of players making at least $13 million. Are the Angels ever going to be one of these teams again? Perhaps when Rendon is off the payroll, the additional flexibility alters their dynamic. For now, Minasian is effectively operating as a small market GM.
Not only are Soto and Burnes seemingly too expensive, but so too are the next tier of free agents. Take this year’s class for example. Players like Willy Adames, Pete Alonso, Anthony Santander, Teoscar Hernández and Jack Flaherty don’t appear to be in the budget. That could change, but the way the Angels have operated so far, it would be a surprise.
The Angels’ entire offseason strategy has centered around finding reclamation projects, strong role players, and guys whom the front office hopes can parlay a strong finish into an even stronger 2025. Simply put, they’re crafting a roster, not splurging on one. Numerous factors could be playing a role in the shifting operating philosophy of Moreno — who has long declined The Athletic’s interview requests.
The crumbling of the Angel Stadium land purchase in 2022 could be relevant here, with a potential revenue source being closed. The lack of clarity about their home long-term also isn’t great for business. The pending $100 lawsuit by the family of Tyler Skaggs against the Angels could also be a factor. So too could the uncertainty over the local television deal, which was only solved earlier this offseason.
Moreno put the team on the market in 2022, only to change his mind. The 78-year-old has, however, acknowledged he has no familial succession plan. So should he decide to sell the team again, bloated contracts might devalue the asset. There’s also the reality that Moreno likely feels burned by some of his biggest acquisitions failing tremendously coupled with the fact that free agent contracts are getting more and more pricey.
Perhaps Moreno is fed up with the expensive gambles turning into a costly, drawn out humiliation.
Whatever the reasons, the facts have left the Angels in no-man’s land, trying to turn around a 63-win team, while only marginally raising payroll.
“Our goal is to be in the playoffs in 2025,” Moreno told The Orange County Register in October.
And perhaps 2025 will be the year it all falls into place. But as of right now, it’s unclear if even the front office decision makers believe they’re doing enough to win.
“We’re trying to get better,” Minasian said when asked if he felt this offseason has gotten them closer to being a winning team. “That’s it. I’m not going to make any predictions. Our focus is on getting better, and we’ll let our play do our talking. That’s kind of where we’re at.”
(Photo of Moreno: Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
