The Los Angeles Angels are headed for a final-day finish with the very real possibility of losing 100 games for the first time in franchise history, and that alone says plenty about where they landed in this year’s American League picture.
The larger story, though, is the gap between the leagues. As the MLB playoffs get ready to begin with the Angels nowhere near the bracket, the AL has sent a cluster of teams to October that, in another setup, might not be there at all. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe dug into that divide while writing about the Boston Red Sox, who might have been sellers at the deadline if not for the weaker league around them.
The Angels fit right into that conversation, even if their case is a little different from the rest. There’s no neat formula behind this roster.
Mike Trout and Zach Neto provide the offense, and after that the cupboard gets thin in a hurry. On the pitching side, the only clear direction has been building a stockpile of young arms as the sale of the team moves forward.
That sale is still unresolved for now, with new owner Stan Kroenke expected to take over early next year. The job ahead is a big one, though Kroenke’s spending history with his other sports holdings suggests he may not be afraid to invest.
Speier’s reporting also surfaced some blunt assessments from anonymous evaluators, and one line in particular captured the mood: “a dumpster fire of teams that all operate and build rosters the same way.” Another quote cut even deeper: “Vastly inferior - 9-10 NL teams would make the playoffs in the AL.”
That kind of judgment isn’t hard to square with the standings. Teams like the Cleveland Guardians, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers all come to mind in a postseason field that feels more open than it should. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies were also mentioned as clubs that would be playoff locks if they were swapped into the AL.
For the Angels, the season’s end has been bleak in its own right. They finished last in the AL West, and the final stretch turned them into easy prey for almost everyone they faced. Their lineup looked more like a Triple-A group than a major league one, and that made three runs or fewer a common outcome against them.
Even so, they still managed to play spoiler at times. The Astros and Rangers have spent much of the year in a so-called pennant race that has featured more losing than usual, and the Angels popped up to complicate things now and then.
The format isn’t changing, and the postseason will proceed as planned. But with the playoffs about to begin, the Angels are a reminder of just how lopsided the American League has looked.
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Mike Trout Sounds Different About Where The Angels Are Headed
Mike Trouts 2026 season already stood out for one reason before the final weekend even arrived. He got into 142 games, his most since 2016, and even with a day off for the Angels series finale against the Mariners, he sounded more reflective than defensive about how he got there. Trout credited the training and medical staff for helping him stay on the field and thanked manager Kurt Suzuki for giving him the chance to move back to center field, a reminder that his recent stretch has been about more than just numbers.
The bigger backdrop, though, is that the Angels are heading into an ownership change, with Stan Kroenke agreeing to buy the club. Trout said he has already had positive conversations with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment about the teams future, which gives his comments a different edge than the usual end-of-season routine. For a player who has spent so much of his career tied to uncertainty around the franchise, the tone felt a little more grounded, even if the next step remains the part everyone is waiting to see. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Hit A Franchise Low As A Long Awaited Reset Begins
The Angels season closed with a number no franchise wants attached to its record, and it arrived in the same game that marked the end of Arte Morenos run as owner. What had been a familiar pattern of frustration turned into something far more damaging, as the club lost 100 games for the first time in team history and finished a year defined less by one fatal flaw than by a steady accumulation of them.
Bullpen collapse, thin depth and shaky defense all played a part, even as a few players managed to stand out, including Reid Detmers, Walbert Urena, Zach Neto and Wade Meckler. The bigger picture, though, points back to years of decisions at the top and an organization that never seemed to keep pace in player development or roster support, which is why this reset feels long overdue even if the hard part is figuring out what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Johnson Gave The Angels One Real Reason For Hope
Ryan Johnsons first season with the Angels was uneven on the whole, but the rookie right-hander gave the club something it has been short on for much of the year: a late glimpse of progress. He finished with a 5.04 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 100 innings, and the most encouraging stretch came over his last 10 starts, when he posted a 2.83 ERA and looked more settled on the mound.
His most recent outing against the Mariners was more of the same mixed bag, as he allowed four runs over five innings and still walked away with a no-decision. Even so, the way Johnson closed the season offers the Angels at least one reason to carry forward into an otherwise bleak finish, with one final game still standing between them and the first 100-loss season in franchise history. [Read more 🡒]