The Angels are heading toward another rough finish, and the offseason decisions are already coming into focus. With a new owner in place and John Mozeliak likely to remain after stepping in as interim general manager, Los Angeles has a handful of free agents and short-term pieces to sort through as it tries to reset.
Some of those calls are easy. Others are less about debate than cleanup.
Anthony Rendon is the biggest name on the list, and his Angels run is finally reaching the end. The seven-year, $245 million deal he signed in 2020 is set to expire, closing the book on what has become the worst contract in Angels history.
He and the team agreed to a buyout last year, spreading out the money he was owed in 2026 over several seasons, but he still reaches free agency when this season ends. Rendon hasn’t played since 2024, and he hasn’t been a valuable player since 2019 with the Washington Nationals.
Unless some club is willing to give him a minor-league deal, the market figures to be empty. Prediction: Leaves.
Robert Stephenson is in a similar bucket. The Angels hold a club option on the reliever, but there’s little reason to think they’ll pick it up.
Stephenson signed a three-year, $33 million contract before the 2024 season, then managed only 12 appearances for the team because injuries kept wiping out any chance at momentum. He missed all of 2024 after Tommy John surgery and all of 2026 after elbow surgery.
Prediction: Leaves.
Behind the plate, Travis d’Arnaud looks like another player whose Angels stint is likely ending. He’s served as the backup catcher for the last two seasons, but the production just hasn’t been there this year: .174/.260/.261 with one home run and three RBIs.
That kind of line makes a return tough to justify. Prediction: Leaves.
Yoan Moncada’s season has gone off the rails as well. He hit .189/.308/.297 with three home runs and 10 RBIs before landing on the 60-day IL, and the Angels are not expected to bring him back. The article also makes clear he probably should not have been brought back in the first place.
Adam Frazier was signed to provide a veteran presence at second base, but that role has been overtaken by Vaughn Grissom’s emergence this season. At this point, there doesn’t seem to be much need for Frazier beyond a possible bench role. Prediction: Leaves.
Jeimer Candelario has barely been part of the picture. He has played in only seven games for the Angels this season and has two hits in 20 plate appearances, so a return next year does not look likely.
In Other News...
Zach Netos Finish Could Force An Angels Decision This Winter
Zach Netos 2026 season has given the Angels a different kind of offseason question than they usually face with a young core player. He has put together a strong year overall, backed by a 113 wRC+ and 3.6 fWAR, and his play since Aug. 17 has only sharpened the attention around him. For a club trying to decide how to balance short-term competitiveness with long-term direction, that kind of finish tends to change the conversation quickly.
The front office has already explored trade possibilities involving Neto in the past, and this winter could bring the same sort of discussion with more urgency attached to it. The looming MLB lockout adds another layer of pressure, making the timing feel important if the Angels believe this is the moment to capitalize on his current value. Whether they actually move him or not, Netos finish has put them back in a familiar but uncomfortable spot. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Just Reopened A Bullpen Fear Fans Know Too Well
The Angels had built a comfortable cushion through five innings, carrying a 6-0 lead into the sixth before the game began slipping away in a hurry. What followed was the kind of collapse that can turn a routine road win into a bruising reminder of how fragile a bullpen day can become, especially when a division opponent starts stringing together traffic and extra-base damage.
The Athletics piled up nine runs over the final three innings and finished the comeback with back-to-back go-ahead two-run homers from Carlos Cortes and Zack Gelof in the eighth. Even a run in the ninth could not stop the bleed for Los Angeles, leaving the Angels with a familiar worry: a game that looked secure until the late innings turned it into another frustrating bullpen story. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Enter Final Week With Real 2027 Roster Jobs On The Line
The final week of the season has become more than a finish line for the Angels. With the standings already set, manager Kurt Suzuki and the front office are using these last games to sort through parts of the roster that could matter in 2027, treating the stretch run as one more layer of evaluation rather than a formality.
Grayson Rodriguez, Vaughn Grissom and Luke Murphy are among the players under the microscope as the Angels weigh who fits into the long-term plan. What they do in these remaining games could help determine whether they head into next year with a clearer path to a roster spot or leave camp facing a more uncertain future. [Read more 🡒]