Sorry folks! I didn’t really know how the last 24 hours would go down.
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
Sorry folks! I didn’t really know how the last 24 hours would go down.
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
One nice thingy about the big lull as we wait for a GM and an owner and then a lock out…. no one can do anything. We all see this as a negative. It may be a positive.
If the wiz dome that I’ve seen around the interwebs is true then StanK is supposed to show up and at least hold onto what talent the team has…. like Neto and Detmers. Really, he is supposed to buy us more toys to make us feel good that a new mustache is in town.
It may be a good thing that our ship is iced in for now and is waiting for the thaw before it can really make moves. Now, in reality, I think that if KSE really wanted to get a couple things done through Arte to Moz to the market they can. If they REALLY want Skubal, for example, they can communicate that and get Moz into the bidding.
But as far as doing the half assed “add a fairly large pile of talent to push for possible Arte style paper tiger contention in 2027 because the AL West is weak” idea…. nope. It won’t happen with our FO in limbo. Which is good. The 2026 Angels are not the 2025 White Sox at all.
Not being able to trade major pieces isn’t too big a deal. Name me the month where there were not any teams looking for a good starting pitcher and a good short stop. Hell, after the FA shuffle those two may be more valuable.
We are also not in a position where we can add major free agents, which is great. We should only be adding the types of guys that Moz is likely to be limited to.
Finally, this slow transition forces KSE to use what I perceive as a strength. They have actual staff and actual brains. Now they will be forced to take their time. They will sit there with the Angels problems for a while. I am pretty confident they will land on a plan that includes a lot of what some of us want and even more of us say we want. The team sucks, that’s not gonna change fast, build the farm and then get bucks ready to spend in a year or two. I think the longer this takes, the better KSE will be able to articulate to prospective GM/POBO types what they want to do and then hire down the chain accordingly. Buy us an organizational philosophy this winter.
I would be more excited to hear, on the BA podcasts, that the Angels seem to have scouts hoping out of the bushes everywhere in America this Spring as the draft approaches than we signed Skubal. It would mean the Stank Machine is rolling.
So this boring off season where we don’t move the needle and build towards a contender may be just what the doctor ordered.
Looks like KSE will be having “informal meetings” with GM candidates this week at the GM meetings. Mozeliak will be exploring the trade market and touch base with a “handful” of agents. He said the goal is to be “nimble and be able to react” when the owners hold their vote, “whenever that happens.” Mark Trumbo praised Teruaki Sato’s left handed power swing on the “Halos Territory” podcast recently, and I think he would be a good signing, given his relative youth and potential. It’d be like purchasing a high end prospect, and the Angels could let him break in the next couple of years without worrying too much about the results. But it still sounds like they aren’t going to do anything that significant until the vote happens: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/11/angels-to-begin-preliminary-meetings-with-gm-candidates.html
Owners dragging their feet on the vote to finalize the sale to KSE is pretty infuriating.
KSE reps are at the GM meetings. They’re ready to rock.
The problem is no cooking is going on until there’s a staff in place, and there won’t be anyone hired until the sale is approved. Right now it’s Moz alone in the kitchen by himself with his hands tied behind his back.
My concern is that even if KSE wants to sign a notable free agent like Sato, I’m assuming Arte has to sign off on it as long as he’s the current owner. And I can see Arte not agreeing to sign any free agents. Even if seems like MLB approval of the sale is a slam dunk, Arte likely doesn’t want to take any chances footing the bill for any free agents. With the MLB off season being compressed to a couple of weeks, it’s just looking increasingly likely that the Angels get nothing done.