The Angels have spent another season staring at the same uncomfortable truth: the roster is full of holes, the direction still isn’t clear, and a managerial search is coming after Kurt Suzuki’s dismissal on Wednesday. Mike Trout is now on the wrong side of 35, the club sits in the bottom tier of the American League, and the offseason is arriving with plenty of questions and not many easy answers.
That is why Teruaki Sato has naturally popped up as a name to watch. The Hanshin Tigers granted him permission this week to pursue an MLB move, and the Angels’ geography makes them a familiar suitor whenever overseas talent becomes available. With the outfield thin beyond Trout - and Trout himself mentioned as a possible trade candidate before the impending lockout - Sato looks like the obvious international target.
But there may be a more interesting swing for the Angels to take.
High school right-hander Shoki Oda is suddenly on the board, and he brings a different kind of appeal than the usual NPB free-agent chase. Instead of chasing the NPB Draft, Oda announced last week that he plans to build his career in the United States. The route could still go through the NCAA, but he also has the option of jumping straight to the majors, and a fastball already reaching more than 95 mph is going to get attention.
The path would be unusual, but it wouldn’t be a first. The A’s did it last offseason when they signed two-way prospect Shotaro Morii straight out of high school.
Rintaro Sasaki and Kenny Ishikawa chose routes through the NCAA or a transfer before getting drafted. And while it isn’t identical, both Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki also avoided the standard NPB posting track and used the arbitration route instead of waiting for unrestricted free agency.
For the Angels, Oda could be the kind of arm that matters more long term than a bigger-name bat. He pairs that velocity with a splitter around 90 mph, along with a slider and cutter, and Yuri Karasawa of World Baseball Network called it “ one of the most advanced arsenals among amateur pitchers in Japan” in a recent scouting report.
Francys Romero also reported that after Oda struck out seven against Chines Taipei in the U-18 World Cup qualifiers, “ nearly every scout ranking him as the No. 1 prospect” in the tournament. Romero added that Oda was one of the main attractions at the U-18 Asian Baseball Championship, with the Dodgers, Giants, Phillies and Yankees among the teams scouting him.
Japanese pitching prospect Shoki Oda was one of the main attractions at the U-18 Asian Baseball Championship, with several MLB teams actively scouting him, including the Dodgers, Giants, Phillies and Yankees.
Oda, 18, has yet to make a decision about his future, per sources.… pic.twitter.com/nqNzOVSQTD
- Francys Romero (@FrancysRomero) September 24, 2026
There’s also a fit argument here. The Angels’ farm system has gained some respect lately, with MLB Pipeline moving them up to 17th in its mid-August rankings.
Still, the pitching depth at the top remains thin, with only three arms in the organization’s Top 10. After José Soriano was dealt at the deadline, and with Reid Detmers’ future in Anaheim potentially unsettled if the club keeps rebuilding this winter in the post-Perry Minasian era, the need for pitching help is obvious.
Oda would not solve everything overnight, but he would give the system a needed jolt of upside as the Angels try to rebuild a rotation that has been waiting for impact since Ohtani left and, really, since the club last reached the postseason in 2014.
Whether the new front office leans into the international market remains to be seen. Still, while the rest of the league may be zeroing in on Sato, the Angels could do worse than looking at the younger arm with a more unconventional path.
In Other News...
Angels Still Have One Huge Question Heading Into This Transition
The Angels are heading into a pivotal stretch with more uncertainty around the front office than the roster, and the timing only adds to the intrigue. John Mozeliak has already confirmed he will not remain as the clubs general manager, with the organization planning to hire a permanent GM for the 2027 season as it prepares for an ownership transition and broader restructuring after its first 100-loss year.
The search is still in its earliest phase, with no candidates interviewed yet, and Mozeliak could still have a hand in helping choose his successor. For an Angels organization trying to reset itself on multiple levels, the next front-office hire will be one of the most important decisions of the transition, even if the real answer to who gets the job is still far from settled. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Front Office Shakeup Leaves One Huge Question About What's Next
The Angels front office is heading into a transitional stretch, with John Mozeliak set to step aside as general manager once the new ownership group takes over in 2027. Even after that handoff, he is expected to remain on staff and help guide the search for his successor, keeping some continuity in place as the club continues to work through a rebuild he has been part of shaping.
Mozeliak has been active in the baseball operations side throughout his tenure, but the next phase now points toward a broader shift in control. The Angels are also working with Kroenke Sports and Entertainment in the search for a new field manager, a sign that Stan Kroenke will have a major say in what comes next and leaving one big question hanging over the organizations direction. [Read more 🡒]
Angels GM Search Suddenly Feels Built For A Full Reset
The Angels front-office search is beginning to look less like a routine hire and more like the opening move in a broader reset. John Mozeliak is expected to step aside when the Kroenke group takes full control of the franchise, and his original plan had been to stay through 2026 while helping identify a permanent general manager. Instead, the transition appears headed toward a quicker handoff, with the new ownership group set to shape the next era almost immediately.
One name already drawing attention is Randy Flores, the former pitcher who has worked his way into executive circles through scouting and analytics. Flores has spent years alongside Mozeliak and was groomed for leadership within the Cardinals structure, making him a familiar face in a search that could lean heavily on existing relationships and front-office continuity even as the Angels prepare for a new direction. [Read more 🡒]