For Angels fans, the number in The Athletic’s latest MLB Power Rankings is ugly - No. 29 out of 30 - but the larger story around the club is suddenly a lot easier to stomach. The season may still be headed toward a 60-something-win finish, and a first 100-loss season in franchise history is still on the table, yet the mood around the organization is not what it was when the year began.
That’s because the two figures long seen as the biggest drag on the franchise are gone. Arte Moreno is no longer the principal owner, and Perry Minasian is no longer the general manager.
At the start of the season, neither change looked likely, even with Minasian in the final year of his contract. For a team that has been stuck in the mud for so long, those two had started to feel less like individual decision-makers and more like permanent forces holding the Angels in place.
They’re not there anymore.
Minasian’s replacement is John Mozeliak, a veteran executive with a strong reputation and a long record of success with the St. Louis Cardinals.
He hasn’t been handed a finished product, and there’s no guarantee he turns the whole thing around, but he has already started making moves that point in a different direction. His approach during both the MLB Draft and the trade deadline signaled that he’s willing to operate differently from the man before him.
The ownership change brings its own kind of shift. Stan Kroenke is already showing signs that he won’t be another Moreno.
The Angels are reportedly planning to put “Anaheim” back in their name, which matches the city they play in. Kroenke also appears likely to take a more hands-off approach than Moreno, and that alone would mark a significant change for a fan base that has spent years waiting for something - anything - to feel different.
None of it promises wins. But it does promise a new beginning of sorts, and for Angels supporters, that has been in short supply. Even with the standings still bleak, this is the first time in a while that the end of a season has felt like it might actually lead somewhere.
In Other News...
Angels Face A Costly Veteran Reset With Free Agency Looming
The Angels are headed into another familiar winter with a roster that could look a lot different by the time next season rolls around. Anthony Rendon, Robert Stephenson, Travis dArnaud, Yoan Moncada, Adam Frazier and Jeimer Candelario are all set to hit free agency, and the mix says plenty about where the club stands after a season defined by uneven production and plenty of injury concern.
For Los Angeles, the bigger question is not just who leaves, but how much of the veteran-heavy reset is already underway. Rendons health has been a constant issue, Stephenson and the others have each carried their own recent questions, and the expectation is that most of this group will not be back in 2027. John Mozeliak is expected to stay on as interim general manager, which means the Angels may soon have to make a series of decisions that will shape the next stage of the roster rather than patch up the present one. [Read more 🡒]
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 🡒]