Five Big Questions the Angels Have to Solve This Offseason
The Los Angeles Angels are staring at a winter full of uncertainty, and it starts at the very top. With the franchise coming off its first 100-loss season in 66 years, there’s a clear need to treat 2026 as the warning sign and 2027 as the reset.
The biggest issue is the looming ownership change. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment’s $4-billion purchase of the team from Arte Moreno is expected to be finalized in the first quarter of 2027, and that raises the central question fans care about most: how aggressive will the new regime be in building the roster?
Rhett Bollinger, writing in the Angels Beat newsletter for MLB.com on Oct. 15, said the payroll will likely remain at the $182-million level it carried in 2026 as KSE gets settled. He also added, "[T]he Angels definitely need plenty of help, especially with their bullpen and some left-handed power."
That ownership shift ties directly into another major decision: who runs baseball operations. Moreno brought in John Mozeliak on an interim basis after Perry Minasian was dismissed in June, and Mozeliak moved quickly to clear out some deadweight while also dealing away some attractive pieces at the trade deadline to bolster a long-thin farm system. But his deal expires at the end of December, and the front office situation remains unresolved.
Mozeliak himself acknowledged as much on Sept. 29, saying the team's GM decision is " still paused."
Bollinger noted that Mozeliak could still remain in the picture, whether in the GM chair or in another role alongside a new hire. He also pointed out Mozeliak’s connection to KSE president Kevin Demoff through their shared history in the St.
Louis Cardinals organization, stretching back to the Rams’ time in St. Louis.
Then there’s the dugout. Kurt Suzuki was handed an unusual one-year contract, and nothing about 2026 suggested he had locked up a second season. Mozeliak has said he wouldn’t mind having Suzuki back, but the managerial conversation has been quiet since October began.
As Bollinger wrote, "Mozeliak praised Suzuki for his communication with the players, his willingness to learn and improve, and his relationships with the media," while also noting that Suzuki was working with a difficult roster. Still, he added, "But given the club’s struggles, retaining Suzuki wouldn’t be a popular move among the fan base."
Once the organizational questions are addressed, the Angels can finally turn to the roster itself. One of the biggest on-field answers may already be taking shape: Mike Trout appears headed to left field in 2027.
That creates a center field opening, and Bollinger identified prospect Nelson Rada as a possible internal answer. At Triple-A Salt Lake, Rada hit .278 with an OBP of .376 and an OPS of .739, while piling up 135 hits, 97 runs scored and 43 stolen bases.
Of course, if KSE wants to make an immediate splash, one obvious name exists on the market in Jazz Chisholm. Bollinger wrote that Chisholm looks like he may be on the outs with the New York Yankees. He played second base in New York, but he also started in center field for two seasons with the Miami Marlins.
The real questions there are cost and term, especially because Chisholm is coming off his least-productive season in batting average and OPS since his 21-game rookie stint in 2020. He hit .231 with a .711 OPS.
The final issue Bollinger raised is behind the plate, where the Angels suddenly have another opening to sort out. Logan O'Hoppe, previously viewed as the catcher of the future, was shipped to the Texas Rangers by Mozeliak. Travis d'Arnaud is now a free agent, Moises Ballesteros arrived from the Chicago Cubs at the deadline, and Tyler Heineman struggled at the plate while becoming arbitration-eligible.
Jacob Cozart is also in the mix after joining the organization from the Cleveland Guardians in August and then playing well at Double-A Rocket City.
Bollinger summed up the situation this way: "[T]hey’re likely to add another veteran to that mix, as Heineman struggled offensively in 2026 and Ballesteros isn’t a full-time catcher. Cozart could debut at some point next year and will have to prove he can hit enough to be a regular."
In Other News...
Angels Free Agent Fit Comes With A Risk This Roster Can't Ignore
The Angels are still searching for the kind of left-handed bat that can change a lineup without clogging the bases, and Trent Grisham naturally surfaces as the sort of free-agent name that fits the checklist on paper. He has shown the ability to take walks and, at his best, can supply real power from the left side, which is exactly the profile this roster lacks as it tries to build around more dependable on-base and run-producing threats.
But there is a reason any conversation about Grisham comes with a built-in warning label. The offensive track record has been uneven enough to make his ceiling hard to trust, and the defensive value that once helped sell his overall package has not looked as sturdy lately. For an Angels front office that cannot afford another costly misread in free agency, the appeal is obvious, but so is the risk. [Read more 🡒]
Angels New Era Is Starting To Show In One Crucial Place
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The deadline moves brought in a fresh crop of prospects, and the draft added another layer of upside to the mix. The headliner was Huntington Beach outfielder Jared Grindlinger, a 17-year-old taken early in the 2024 class, while several other newcomers were folded into the clubs top 30 list. It is early, but for an Angels system that has needed help for years, this is the kind of inventory that can make the rest of the rebuild feel a little more real. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Are Letting A Leadership Problem Get Worse Fast
The Angels decision to keep Kurt Suzuki in place after a poor season is doing more than dragging out a disappointing year. It is also slowing down the kind of managerial search that usually needs clear timing and a clean handoff, especially for a club already dealing with questions about ownership and direction. For a team trying to reset, the longer the current setup lingers, the harder it can be to line up the next move.
There were at least a couple of names that could have made the process feel more manageable, but the pool is thinning quickly. With Alex Cora and Don Mattingly no longer available, the Angels are left watching options disappear while the search remains stuck in place. That only raises the pressure on a front office that already has to sort through a messy organizational backdrop before it can settle on the person who will guide the next step. [Read more 🡒]