After frustrating season, Moreno expects Angels to be competitive in '25

ANAHEIM -- Angels owner Arte Moreno said he’s as frustrated as anybody with their 99-loss season in 2024 but believes the organization is heading in the right direction because of the development of a young core.

Moreno, speaking to MLB.com by phone on Wednesday, said the goal is to compete for the postseason in 2025 with an eye on building a sustainable winner.

“The reality is we need to put a competitive team out there,” said Moreno, who indicated the payroll will go up compared to 2024. “We have some young players and more depth than we’ve had. And we’ll have even more depth in ’26. When you’re looking at ’25, you’re looking at a combination of ’25 and ’26. What we have to do is do things in ’25 to be as competitive as we can, but we also want to do things to enhance ’26 so we’ll be deeper.”

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Moreno said it pained him that four postseason games were to be played Wednesday while the Angels have not made the playoffs since 2014, which is the current longest active drought in the Majors. He believed they had a playoff-caliber team in 2023 and made additions at the Trade Deadline to reflect that before it unraveled that August. But they then had to be realistic from a financial perspective heading into ’24.

Having Mike Trout under contract for $37.1 million per season through 2030 and Anthony Rendon signed through ‘26 at $38.5 million, made it unfeasible to re-sign Shohei Ohtani, Moreno said. He added they had plenty of trade offers for Ohtani before and during the ’23 season, but the plan was to compete for a postseason berth. The Angels were 56-51 on the day of the 2023 Trade Deadline and in the thick of the Wild Card race, but faded down the stretch and finished 73-89.

The Angels dialed back on payroll last offseason, as reliever Robert Stephenson was their biggest signing at three years and $33 million. Moreno said they made an offer to slugger J.D. Martinez, but he ultimately signed a one-year contract with the Mets.

In order for the Angels to achieve their goal of competing for a playoff spot, they will need a return to health for their two marquee names. Rendon has managed to play in just 205 games total over the last four seasons and has a .666 OPS with 13 homers during that time.

It has been a similar story for Trout, who played in just 29 games last year and 82 the year before. Trout, however, has maintained an All-Star level of performance at the plate (.867 OPS in 126 plate appearances in 2024) when he’s been able to take the field. Moreno said they will work with Trout this offseason to come up with a plan to stay healthy.

“We don't need Mike Trout to be an MVP. We just need Mike Trout to get on the field,” Moreno said. “Because whether he's a DH or playing a corner, whatever he's doing, when Mike Trout comes up to bat, it really protects the other guys and he can change the game with one swing.”

Moreno acknowledged they have to look to the future with their team built around the young talent they’ve developed recently, such as shortstop Zach Neto, catcher Logan O’Hoppe, first baseman Nolan Schanuel, and right-handers Jose Soriano, Jack Kochanowicz and Ben Joyce.

Another righty, No. 1 prospect Caden Dana, got his first taste of the Majors last year, while second baseman Christian Moore (No. 2 prospect) could become a regular next season despite being drafted just this year as the No. 8 overall pick. Both players are among the top 100 prospects in baseball according to MLB Pipeline.

“We obviously got a lot of experience for young guys,” Moreno said. “But they keep telling us that we have one of the worst Minor League systems. But if you look at our roster that we're playing with, there’s a lot of homegrown guys on our team. They're young, but we move guys through quickly.”

The plan now is to add to the roster via free agency and trade this offseason with the club looking to add to the infield, outfield and the rotation. The Royals appear to be a blueprint for the Angels, as they went from 106 losses in 2023 to a postseason spot in ’24 by being smart with their free-agent additions and trades last offseason to supplement their young core without having to break the bank for a superstar player.

Moreno, 78, said he’s not currently looking to sell after exploring a possible sale in 2022. He also said there’s nothing new with a potential stadium deal after the most recent proposal fell apart in ‘22 amid a federal investigation into then-Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu. He said that he’s “committed” to Anaheim.

He also gave high praise to general manager Perry Minasian, who received a two-year extension in August, as well as manager Ron Washington. He communicates with both regularly and trusts in their plan and their process to develop their young talent into winners.

“I just want the young players to be around people who want to win and want to compete. That’s so important,” Moreno said. “But we need to spend enough money, keep our fans engaged and for them to understand what we’re trying to accomplish. It’s not for a lack of trying.”