The American League West has opened itself up in a way that should make every team in the division feel a little taller. It took just 81 wins to finish on top in 2026, which tells you everything you need to know: nobody was truly great, and the gap between first place and the basement wasn’t all that wide.
That should be good news for the Angels. Instead, they’re stuck in the worst possible place - with an opportunity in front of them and nobody clearly in charge to grab it.
Around them, the division is in motion. Houston brought in longtime Cardinals executive Randy Flores as its new general manager after Dana Brown was let go in August, and Joe Espada is gone after the Astros were swept as one of the weakest playoff teams in, well, history. Flores still has to hire a manager and sort through a long list of roster questions, even if Jim Crane says the club isn’t tearing things down.
Seattle has also gone through a major reset in the dugout. The Mariners moved on from Dan Wilson, fired four coaches, added a new hitting coach for an offense that struggled badly, and then hired Jason Kanzler as manager.
That doesn’t mean a rebuild, though. Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh and a deep rotation are still there.
Even so, a new voice and an underachieving roster don’t guarantee an immediate jump.
Texas is dealing with a different kind of uncertainty. The Rangers appear to have stability in the dugout and front office for the moment, but they’re also carrying expensive veterans in Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Corey Seager and Brandon Nimmo. The word is they’d like to move at least some of that money. deGrom and Eovaldi are both in the final year of their deals, and neither comes with a sure thing attached at their age.
Then there’s the A’s, who were only a step ahead of the Angels last season while dealing with injuries to their offensive talent. Even with better health, they’re still a year away from playing in a park with a second deck. Their bigger target is 2028, with 2027 looking more like a bridge year.
So yes, the path is there. The division leader is rebuilding its front office, the runner-up wants to trim payroll, and the third-place club has a new manager. That’s the kind of setup that should invite a team from the bottom to make a push.
But the Angels aren’t positioned to take advantage.
Perry Manasian was fired in June, and Mozeliak has been running things since then, though his deal runs out in December and he has already said he won’t be the full-time GM. Kurt Suzuki’s option was declined after the season, and Mozeliak has said the new general manager will come first, then the manager.
On paper, that makes sense. In practice, the process looks stalled.
The ownership situation only adds to the mess. Arte Moreno still technically owns the club, even though Kroenke Sports & Entertainment Group agreed to buy the Angels in September.
That sale won’t close until the first quarter of next year, and it apparently isn’t even on the docket for a vote this month. On top of that, the Angels haven’t interviewed a single GM candidate.
That leaves them with no GM, no manager, no coaching staff and an outgoing owner with little reason to spend before he leaves. The interim executive has only a few weeks left on his contract, and with the CBA set to expire in less than a month, a lockout is coming.
November is supposed to be the month when business gets done. The Angels are sitting it out.
And that’s what makes this so maddening. Mozeliak helped give the system a jolt at the deadline, and the roster still has real pieces in Zach Neto and Reid Detmers. The club also, at least in theory, has the richest owner in the sport, one with a history of hiring the right people and stepping aside.
But none of that matters if nobody is in the room making the calls.
The AL West is wide open. The Angels just don’t have anyone authorized to walk through it.
In Other News...
Angels Fans Suddenly Have A Real Zach Neto Offseason Fear
The offseason has already started to feel like a crossroads for the Angels, and Zach Neto is suddenly part of the conversation in a way few expected. MLB insider Jon Morosi pointed to real league-wide interest in the shortstop, which is notable on its own, but it lands at a moment when the organization is going through changes that could lead to a broader roster reset. Neto has emerged as one of the more valuable pieces on the roster, and with three years of team control left, he would draw attention from clubs looking for a long-term answer in the middle infield.
For Angels fans, the uneasy part is not just that Neto is a desirable player, but that his name is now being floated in the same breath as a possible offseason overhaul. Nothing is confirmed, and there is still plenty of room for the front office to decide he is too important to move, but the fact that his market is already being discussed says plenty about where this winter could be headed. If the Angels do end up listening, this is the kind of situation that can quickly turn from rumor to one of the defining decisions of the offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Jake Munroe Is Giving Angels Fans A Reason To Pay Attention
The Arizona Fall League has been a useful showcase for several prospects this week, and a few names have started to separate themselves with production that is hard to ignore. For the Angels, Jake Munroe is part of that group, giving the organization a reason to keep a close eye on what has been a strong stretch of offensive performances across the league.
Munroes work has stood out because it has come with the kind of all-around approach teams like to see from a young hitter, not just empty contact. He has been getting on base, creating traffic and showing enough discipline to suggest this is more than a brief hot streak, which is exactly the sort of development the Angels can use as they evaluate where he fits next. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Could Enter A Very Different Race For Japanese Talent
With the Angels looking ahead to the offseason after the 2026 season, the conversation around how they reshape the roster has started to widen beyond the usual domestic free-agent market. A looming ownership change from Arte Moreno to Stan Kroenke in early 2027 adds another layer to the discussion, because a new regime can bring a new appetite for big swings, especially if the club wants to accelerate a turnaround and make itself more attractive to high-end talent.
One area that could look very different is the clubs approach to Japanese players, where recent performance in Nippon Professional Baseball and MLB has only increased the intrigue. The Angels are being linked in speculation to a few possible targets who could fit both immediate needs and longer-term ambition, but for now it remains more of a projection than a promise. Still, if the front office does decide to chase that market aggressively, it could change the way the Angels are viewed in the race for international talent. [Read more 🡒]