The Angels are one step away from a number no franchise wants attached to it: 100 losses. If they drop two more games, they’ll hit that mark for the first time in club history. To avoid it, they’d need to win three of four in their final series against the Seattle Mariners, and that feels like a steep climb for a team that has spent the season buried near the bottom.
That ugly record, though, comes with a silver lining. Los Angeles has already locked up a bottom-three finish in baseball, and under the current CBA that gives the Angels the best shot at the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft. The odds sit at 19.1%, the same as the Colorado Rockies and the Athletics, with an 87.6% chance of staying in the top six.
For a club trying to accelerate a rebuild, that matters. The Angels were not eligible for the 2026 draft lottery because payor clubs can’t be in the lottery in consecutive years, so landing a premium pick in 2027 would be a major boost. Their farm system has already been trending upward since the trade deadline, and the possibility of adding the top pick only adds more momentum.
There is one complication hanging over all of it: the next CBA. The current agreement expires after this season, and with negotiations expected to be difficult, the draft lottery setup for 2027 is not guaranteed to stay the same. The Angels’ odds could look different once the new deal is in place.
For now, though, the only numbers that count are the ones in front of them. Under the rules currently on the books, Anaheim is in position to chase a franchise-changing talent next summer.
That would be a massive development for a system that already includes infielder Arjun Nimmala, RHP Tyler Bremner, and outfielder Hayden Alvarez. And with a new owner already inbound in Anaheim, the Angels could be lining up more than just a reset. They could be lining up the No. 1 pick, too.
In Other News...
Christian Moore Just Gave Angels Fans A Reason To Keep Watching
Christian Moore gave the Angels a much-needed lift in a game they had to have, driving in multiple runs in a 6-4 win over the Mariners and delivering the go-ahead double when the moment tightened. The Angels had already been working with traffic on the bases when Seattle stuck with Bryan Woo, and Moore made that decision pay by turning a close game into one Los Angeles could finally control.
The Angels then added an insurance run in the eighth inning and let the bullpen finish the job, a small but welcome sign of competence in a season that has not always offered many clean finishes. For a team trying to stay worth the watch, Moores bat was the kind of late-game spark that can make a September game feel like something more. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Fans Finally Have A Reason To Believe Again
After years of frustration and uncertainty, the Angels finally have something fans have been waiting for: a fresh start at the top. With Stan Kroenke now the principal owner and John Mozeliak taking over the front office, the organization is trying to reset its direction, and Mike Trout has already voiced optimism about the new ownership. For a fan base that has lived through plenty of disappointment, the change alone feels like a meaningful step.
The ripple effects are obvious, too, with Arte Moreno now on the outside of the operation he once controlled and Kurt Suzuki left in a tougher spot as manager under the new regime. None of this guarantees immediate success, but it does give the Angels a different kind of energy around the franchise, one built more on possibility than resignation. For once, the conversation around the team is about what comes next instead of what went wrong. [Read more 🡒]
Grayson Rodriguez Still Leaves The Angels With One Huge Doubt
Grayson Rodriguezs first season with the Angels was a long, uneven one after he arrived from Baltimore in the Taylor Ward trade. A rocky start, complicated by injury and inconsistent results, left the right-hander searching for answers, but he did show real improvement in August after some coaching changes, giving the Angels at least a late glimpse of the pitcher they believed they were getting.
Even with that encouraging finish, the concern in Anaheim is obvious. Rodriguez closed the year with a 6.02 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP, numbers that reflect how far he still has to go to settle into a reliable rotation piece. The Angels do have three years of team control left, which keeps the long view intact, and they are still hoping he can get all the way back to the pre-injury form that made him such an appealing part of the deal. [Read more 🡒]