This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger¡¯s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ANAHEIM -- After a tough year that saw the Angels set the franchise record for losses in a season, there are plenty of questions for the club heading into 2025.

The Angels, however, believe they are on the right track, as they¡¯re building around their young core and have been active this offseason in adding veteran talent to supplement the roster and to mentor their inexperienced players. But the biggest question remains when the Angels will be ready to contend again, as they haven¡¯t been to the postseason since 2014.

Owner Arte Moreno indicated early in the offseason that it was his intention to get back to competing in ¡¯25, and that was backed up when general manager Perry Minasian made a series of moves, including trading for slugger Jorge Soler and infielder Scott Kingery and signing free agents such as lefty Yusei Kikuchi, catcher Travis d¡¯Arnaud, right-hander Kyle Hendricks and infielder Kevin Newman.

But even manager Ron Washington wasn¡¯t quite ready to say at the Winter Meetings whether his club is ready to contend in 2025. The Angels are still expected to add to the roster this winter and could be without their best player, shortstop Zach Neto, for the early part of the season after undergoing right shoulder surgery in early November.

¡°I think if you ask me that question when we're getting ready to break out of Spring Training, I'll be able to answer it a lot better,¡± Washington said. ¡°But as far as being successful, I'm always ready to be successful, and the group I have is ready to be successful. We've just got to wait until we get everybody in camp and see what we have and then ask me that question.¡±

Washington added that he believes that the 2024 season was an important one despite the on-field struggles because it was a learning experience for his young players such as Neto, catcher Logan O¡¯Hoppe, first baseman Nolan Schanuel and right-handers Jos¨¦ Soriano, Jack Kochanowicz and Ben Joyce.

¡°I think when you've been through something for the first time and you've weathered the storm, the expectations go up,¡± Washington said. ¡°But it's not the expectations that will bog them down. It's an expectation that they should envision wanting for themselves, and that's to be successful. I think my young group last year did a tremendous job of staying in the fight and making it through the 162-game grind, and they know what it's about now.¡±

The Angels will need that young core to continue to grow because veterans such as Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon have had trouble staying on the field in recent years. But the Angels still have a lot of confidence that Trout has plenty left in the tank, while Rendon appears more likely to shift to a backup role this season. They are also still deciding how much corner outfield Trout will play next year to try to keep him on the field, which could depend on if they acquire another outfielder.

¡°Mike Trout still today -- this is a big statement I'm making -- 80 percent of the players in the league, and you can go to both leagues, Mike Trout is still better than them,¡± Washington said. ¡°We just have to watch his playing time, just try to make certain that we don't wear him out, try to convince him to take some days off.¡±

Minasian said he¡¯s also not trying to make any prognostications about 2025, as he¡¯s simply trying to improve the roster as much as he can heading into next year. He said he¡¯s been with clubs in the past that won the offseason, only to falter in the regular season, and has been with other clubs that exceeded expectations.

¡°We're trying to get better,¡± Minasian said. ¡°That's it. I'm not going to make any predictions. I'm not. Our focus is on getting better, and we'll let our play do our talking, and the play will dictate where we end up.¡±