HOUSTON — The Angels gave some hope that their bats were waking up when they scored five or more runs in three straight games last week.
Then the weekend reminded everyone that this is still an offensively challenged team.
The Angels scored just one run in their last two games, winning one of them only because of the dominance of starting pitcher Reid Detmers on Saturday. They had only one hit in Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Royals.
The Angels (49-76) have hit .220 with a .607 OPS over their past 30 games, averaging 2.7 runs. They’ve scored two or fewer runs 14 times.
As you would expect, their trouble at the plate was one of the key questions readers asked about.
Q: Okay, so the team is in a rebuild but the offense is anemic and hard to watch. Do they add position players who can hit in the offseason or just roll with the rebuild? — @JDApsley
A: I wouldn’t expect the Angels to add any significant, established players this winter, hitters or pitchers.
Owner Arte Moreno doesn’t want to spend for a marquee player until the team has a competitive foundation. That certainly doesn’t seem to be the case today. The moves the Angels made at the trade deadline also suggest that they aren’t going all-out to contend in 2027.
Besides all of that, I doubt Moreno would be interested in making a big financial commitment to anyone until the new financial structure is established with the new collective bargaining agreement. Also, the Angels just started their television network this year, so it will probably take some time to build the revenue coming from that.
The Angels also aren’t in position to trade for any established hitters because that would cost them prospects.
The Angels need the young players they have to get better. Shortstop Zach Neto and first baseman Nolan Schanuel are now getting to the point where they might be at their ceilings, so the improvement would come from players like Denzer Guzman, Moisés Ballesteros and Christian Moore.
It’s also possible the Angels could trade Neto and/or Detmers to get some hitting prospects. (They had conversations on both of them before the deadline, so I would expect those talks to continue in the winter.) Whatever prospects the Angels get back would not likely make a real impact until 2028 or 2029.
In the meantime, the most likely scenario is the Angels find some filler players on one- or two-year deals until their prospects are ready.
Q: Did Arte change how much leeway he gives the president and GM? If so, why? — @brokos
A: The first part of the question is an obvious yes. In years past, Moreno would not have greenlit the type of sell-off the Angels engineered at the trade deadline.
The writing was on the wall for that when Moreno approved president Molly Jolly’s decision to fire Perry Minasian and bring in an experienced baseball executive like John Mozeliak.
I doubt Mozeliak would have taken the job if he hadn’t received some assurances that he would have the power to make the changes he deemed necessary.
Why the change? That will be a question for Moreno the next time he speaks to the media, whenever that is.
Also, there’s no guarantee that this apparent new philosophy is permanent. The next test will be what happens with the GM position. If Mozeliak stays on in a full-time role, it will be a good indication that Moreno is planning to give him the autonomy he needs. If Mozeliak leaves and the Angels hire another first-time GM, it might mean a return to the ways things have been for the last decade.
Q: How much influence did Mike Trout have over management this trade deadline? — @HaloDom47
A: Trout and Mozeliak talked about what would happen with Trout, and in that conversation they agreed that Trout would not be traded. Beyond that, though, I don’t believe Trout had any influence over what other moves the Angels made. Mozeliak said he invited Trout to have a look at what they were working on in various trade discussions, but Trout downplayed the significance of that.
“It wasn’t what everyone was saying,” said Trout, who added that he felt Mozeliak was just trying to be “transparent” with him.
Q: Do you think (Tyler) Bremner will make his debut this season? — @jeffa_g
A: No. Bremner, who was the Angels’ first-round draft pick in 2025, hasn’t exactly torn up the minors. He has a 4.71 ERA in 15 starts at Class-A and Double-A. That’s not even the primary reason why I wouldn’t expect him to get promoted.
Bremner does not need to be added to the 40-man roster this winter, and this winter there is extra downside to adding someone to the 40-man roster early. When the lockout starts in December, every player on the 40-man roster will be off limits to the team. No contact. No workouts in Arizona. And if the lockout is still going when the season starts in April, those players won’t be able to play, not even in the minors.
Another reader submitted a question about sending someone like Ballesteros down to the minors to allow him to play during a lockout, so this also applies to that question. Ballesteros will be on the 40-man roster, so he’d be locked out.
Q: Will there come a point this season where we will see more of the prospects make up the roster and lineup each day than the more established players? — @DynastyHater45
A: At some point, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Angels called up Moore to give him some extended playing time. Infielder Kyren Paris, who doesn’t really qualify as a “prospect” anymore, has also had a strong second half in Triple-A, so he might get a look.
Outfielder Nelson Rada, who has not yet made his major league debut, also could get the call because this is the year he’s due to be placed on the 40-man roster.
Beyond that, though, the Angels’ best prospects are in the lower minors, so there’s no reason to bring them up so soon, especially considering the 40-man roster implications.
Q: Do you know if they plan to have (Jared) Grindlinger play in A ball this year at all or will they wait till next year for his professional debut? — @ObscureReferen
A: The Angels’ lowest level Class-A team is in Rancho Cucamonga, in the California League. The average age of the hitters in that league is 21. Grindlinger, the Angels’ first-round pick last month, just turned 17.
Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Grindlinger doesn’t make it to that level until 2028.
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP George Klassen, 1-1, 5.52 ERA) at Astros (TBD), Tuesday, 5:10 p.m. PT, ABTV, 830 AM