The Angels are heading into an offseason full of moving parts, and the latest note from ESPN points to one thing that should matter to fans: they may actually be ready to act.
With new ownership, a new front office and a new manager all in place, Los Angeles sits near the center of the league’s biggest winter questions. A potential lockout is hanging over everything, but ESPN’s Buster Olney suggested the Angels are among the clubs that could be active once that hurdle clears.
“The Cubs, Mariners and Padres -- flush with new owner cash -- and after the lockout, the Angels. The Cubs have a group of veterans in their lineup who are win-now players, like Alex Bregman, Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner and Michael Busch, and they need to match that by enhancing their pitching.
“The question with so many teams is whether or not their respective owners will green-light moves -- I've heard estimates of anywhere from 12 to 18 teams will be largely inclined to sit out November, but of course, that could change if front offices successfully lobby for adding payroll before the lockout,” Buster Olney wrote.
That doesn’t lock the Angels into any specific move, but it does suggest they’re positioned to be part of the market rather than sitting it out. The timing is still the big unknown. Whether they jump in before the lockout gets sorted out or wait until after, the important part is that they appear willing to try to improve.
In Other News...
Braves Bring Back A Familiar Front Office Voice For 2027
The Braves are rebuilding some familiar front-office connections for 2027, adding former Astros general manager Dana Brown as a senior advisor to their amateur scouting department while also bringing back Perry Minasian. Minasian, who previously worked alongside Alex Anthopoulos in Atlanta, is returning to the organization after his run as Angels general manager, giving the Braves another experienced voice in the room as they continue shaping their scouting and personnel operation.
For Angels fans, the move is another reminder of how quickly front-office circles can turn over and reconnect. Minasians specific role in Atlanta has not been detailed, but the reunion with Anthopoulos adds intrigue to a Braves setup that already leans heavily on continuity and familiarity. The exact assignment may still be coming into focus, yet the decision itself says plenty about how much Atlanta values people it already knows. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Running Out Of Time To Fix A Critical Front Office Problem
The Angels are staring at a tightening calendar as their ownership transition from Arte Moreno to Stan Kroenke needs to be completed before the MLB lockout begins Dec. 1. Any sale still has to clear approval from at least 23 of the 30 club owners, and the clock matters here because a new ownership group would need time to start shaping the front office and sorting through roster decisions before the sport goes dark.
For now, the process does not appear to have the clean runway the Angels were hoping for. The next real chance for approval comes at the Owners Meetings in New York from Nov. 17-19, which leaves only a short window for the club to finalize a sale and get moving on the executive hires and other business that usually follows a change at the top. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Have A Real Chance To Fix Their Bullpen This Winter
The Angels spent too much of last season looking for reliable outs in the late innings, and the offseason gives them a chance to address that weakness in a more deliberate way. With a projected payroll budget to work with, the front office can shop for relief help instead of hoping internal options suddenly stabilize the back end of the bullpen.
A few names stand out as realistic fits because they bring recent success without pushing the budget into uncomfortable territory. The challenge is not finding one arm, but adding multiple dependable relievers who can shorten games and give the pitching staff some much-needed structure, which is the kind of bullpen upgrade this roster has been missing. [Read more 🡒]