Los Angeles Angels 2025 Season Preview
If there is one thing that a Los Angeles Angels 2025 season preview proves, it's that it hasn’t been easy being an Angels fan for the last decade. The Angels haven’t won the AL West since 2014, which is the only season they made the playoffs in the last fifteen years. The previous eight seasons saw the club make the playoffs six times, including a World Series victory in 2002. Yet, owner Arte Moreno bought the club in May of 2003, fresh off their World Series championship, for a total of $180 million. Bill Stoneman remained in his general manager position and the team maintained their winning ways. Once he stepped down following the 2007 season, Moreno brought in his first general manager. And the team has been spiraling ever since. Their playoff absence is the longest active drought in baseball.
The Los Angeles Angels 2024 Season Review
Now that the history lesson is over, let’s take a quick look at the 2024 season. It was, in a word, terrible. Mike Trout sustained another season-long injury and only played in 29 games. Before the season started Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a record-breaking sum, then became the first player in MLB history to have a 50/50 season as he led them to a World Series championship. Anthony Rendon played 57 games and somehow did not hit one home run. Yet, his terrible .574 OPS fit right into a lineup that didn’t have one regular post higher than a .761 OPS (Zach Neto, our beacon of light).
On the pitching side, Griffin Canning and Patrick Sandoval struggled mightily, Reid Detmers was even worse, and the bullpen had a revolving door of pitchers, many of whom posted ERAs north of 5.00. The ones who didn’t were quickly traded away near the deadline. Among pitchers who qualified in 2024, Canning had the lowest fWAR. Luckily, the team moved on from him, though the New York Mets (and Sports Illustrated) tend to think he’s due for a breakout in 2025 (Ex-Angels who improve when they leave? Shocker). At least the Angels can fall back on newly acquired Kyle Hendricks, who had the second-lowest fWAR (to Canning) among pitchers who threw 130+ innings last season.
2024 Season by the Numbers
63-99, 5th in the AL West
Team salary: $174.2 million (14th)
2nd worst record in the American League
4th worst record in Major League Baseball
635 runs scored, 3rd worst in baseball
Team OPS was .671, 3rd worst in baseball
797 runs allowed, 4th worst in baseball
4.68 FIP, 2nd worst in baseball
7.9 K/9, 2nd worst in baseball
Best average: Nolan Schanuel - .250
Most Home Runs: Taylor Ward – 25
Most RBI: Zach Neto – 77
Best OPS: Neto - .761
Most innings: Tyler Anderson – 179.1
Most wins: Anderson - 10
Lowest ERA, qualified: Anderson – 3.81
Over 50 innings: Hunter Strickland – 3.31
Most Strikeouts: Anderson – 142
Angels 2025 Season Preview
The Angels ended the Spring by making a handful of moves to solidify their Opening Day roster. The biggest surprise had to do with Mickey Moniak. The Angels released Moniak a week before the season even though many expected him to platoon in center field with Jo Adell. On the brighter side of transactions, Ryan Johnson made the club. A 6’6” fireballer, Johnson did not pitch in the minor leagues after being drafted out of Dallas Baptist last season as a second round pick. The club also signed Nicky Lopez for infield depth, though the 30-year-old utility man was absolutely dreadful in 2024, posting an anemic .241/.312/.294/.606 slash line for the Chicago White Sox. Maybe the Angels front office was too busy focusing on things that don’t matter (cell phone bans) to notice.
Opening Day Roster
The Angels have quite a few new faces on the hitting side of things this year, including Jorge Soler, Travis d’Arnaud, and Yoan Moncada. Moncada is currently on the active roster though he’s been missing in action in the latter part of Spring Training after sustaining a thumb injury. Not the news the Angels want to hear after Moncada missed nearly all of 2024 due to an abductor strain.
Opening Day Lineup:
Taylor Ward – LF
Nolan Schanuel – 1B
Mike Trout – RF
Jorge Soler - DH
Tim Anderson – 2B
Luis Rengifo – 3B
Logan O’Hoppe – C
Jo Adell – CF
Kevin Newman – SS
Bench:
Travis d’Arnaud – C
Nicky Lopez – INF
Yoan Moncada – 3B
Kyren Paris – INF/OF
Starting pitchers:
Yusei Kikuchi
Tyler Anderson
Jose Soriano
Kyle Hendricks
Jack Kochanowicz
Bullpen:
Reid Detmers
Ryan Johnson
Garrett McDaniels
Brock Burke
Ian Anderson
Ryan Zeferjahn
Setup:
Ben Joyce
Closer:
Kenley Jansen
Injured list:
Zach Neto (SS)
Robert Stephenson (RP)
Sam Bachman (RP)
Anthony Rendon (God and family)
Los Angeles Angels Hitters
Angels Catchers
Arrivals: Travis d’Arnaud (2yr/$12 million)
Departures: Matt Thaiss
Logan O’Hoppe started 121 games at catcher last season. The amount of games played makes his 2024 season a success after he dealt with injuries in the previous seasons. Now, the Angels can focus on getting him to return to his 2023 hitting numbers. Either way, O’Hoppe is a huge part of the Angels young core and his defense means that even a .244/.303/.409/.712 slash line is incredibly valuable. The Angels, however, made a great move by bringing in veteran Travis d’Arnaud to back him up. d’Arnaud is a huge upgrade over Matt Thaiss, who left for the White Sox. The veteran slashed .238/.302/.436/.739 in Atlanta last season, where he caught 89 games. The Angels should have one of the better catching departments in baseball this season.
Angels Infield
Arrivals: Yoan Moncada (1yr/$5 million), Kevin Newman (1yr/$2.5 million), Tim Anderson (1yr/$1 million), Nicky Lopez ($1.075 million in 2025; club option of $3.75 million in 2026)
Departures: Brandon Drury, Michael Stefanic, a lot of other players who didn’t play much
Zach Neto starts the year on the injured list after having shoulder surgery in the off season. Neto was far and away the best Angels' hitter in 2024, and his 5.1 bWAR/3.5 fWAR were easily tops on the team. There isn’t a clear timeline for his return, but some reports say late April to early May. Luis Rengifo was having a borderline all-star year before being injured. The Angels would be thrilled to see him post another .300/.347/.417/.763 line with 24 stolen bases in the first half. Schanuel walks a lot but hasn’t done much else after a full season in Anaheim. If his OBP hovers near .400, no one will worry about the sub-par power. If it’s closer to .340, the replacement whispers might begin before he turns 24. Since the Angels aren’t likely to be in contention, he’ll likely remain at first for the foreseeable future.
Kyren Paris looked amazing in Spring Training (I know, it’s only spring) and the team hopes he can carry that over after a disastrous 2023/24 in Anaheim. In a small sample size over the last two years (105 plate appearances), Paris has slashed .110/.214/.165/.378. Only 23, Paris worked with Aaron Judge’s hitting coach, Richard Schenck this off-season and early signs are encouraging. He’ll likely move around the diamond as his athleticism will allow him to play nearly any position.
Kevin Newman will start the season in Neto’s stead but his value is derived from the defensive side of the game as he’s posted an 81 OPS+ for his career. Yoan Moncada will play the hot corner when he’s healthy because Anthony Rendon is never healthy. Moncada hasn’t been the superstar many predicted when he signed out of Cuba, but the Angels only need him to be close to his 2021 season. If he is, the club and Angels fans will both be ecstatic. Tim Anderson and Nicky Lopez provide depth though neither player has been close to league average in terms of production over the last season or two. Anderson might be the worst hitter since the start of 2023, with a .235/.271/.274/.544 slash line that amounts to -3.3 bWAR over 188 games played. Lopez has slashed .233/.302/.288/.590 since the start of 2022.
Angels Outfield
Arrivals: Jorge Soler (2yr/$26 million remaining on contract)
Departures: Mickey Moniak, Willie Calhoun, Kevin Pillar
Mike Trout begins his right fielder era in 2025. The future Hall-of-Famer has accepted a move to the corner in the hopes of staying healthy for a full season, something he hasn’t done since 2018 (and that was only 140 games). Is Trout still elite? Probably, but it’ll take a full season of at-bats for Angels fans to know the truth. If he does stay healthy he’s only 22 home runs from 400 career long balls.
Taylor Ward and Jo Adell will take up left and center field, respectively. Ward can be written in as a .750 OPS with about 15-20 home runs. He doesn’t run much, or run well, and his defense is sub-par but he’s good for about 2-3 WAR. That Ward is borderline the best hitter on the team over the last few years, at least for those who qualify, is the problem. Adell looked like he might have figured things out with a .979 OPS through April, but he hit .190 the rest of the way while posting a .634 OPS.
Jorge Soler was acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Braves where the Angels sent Griffin Canning back. Soler will mostly DH for the Halos, though he did see 43 games in right field for the Braves last season. His defense, however, was awful. But that’s not why the Angels acquired the 33-year-old Cuban. While his power has dipped since his league-leading 48 home runs in 2019, Soler has maintained a 116 OPS+ over the last three season. That alone would be a huge boost for an Angels offense that can use all the help they can get.
Los Angeles Angels Pitchers
Starting Pitchers
Arrivals: Yusei Kikuchi (3yr/$63 million), Kyle Hendricks (1yr/$2.5 million)
Departures: Griffin Canning
If the Angels get the Houston version of Yusei Kikuchi, then his three-year deal will be a bargain. If they get the Toronto version (or worse, the Seattle version), then Angels management will once again have to explain why they can’t seem to pick the right free agents to sign. Tyler Anderson was the Angels only true quality starter throughout the whole 2024 season, which garnered him an all-star spot, yet his 4.66 FIP indicates that his 3.81 ERA might have been a little on the lucky side. Kyle Hendricks has been once of the worst pitchers in baseball since the start of 2021 (pitchers with at least 500 innings). He’s one of only five pitchers with an ERA over 4.75, and two of those starters pitched in Colorado.
Jose Soriano was a lightning rod of hope last season. He only started 20 games (pitched in 22) but his power sinker led to 3.42 ERA over 113 innings. He has a long injury history (he had Tommy John surgery in 2020 and 2021) which has forced the team to be cautious with him, but hopefully they turn him loose in 2025 so we can see if he can handle a full season as a starter. Jack Kochanowicz earned the fifth starter spot in Spring Training after posting a 3.99 ERA last season, over 11 starts (65 1/3 innings). While Kochanowicz hasn’t missed many bats yet, he keeps the ball on the ground and limits walks. As far as fifth starter options go, he has a lot of upside. If he struggles, the team is likely to give Reid Detmers another chance...or, call up their top pitching prospect, Caden Dana.
Bullpen
Arrivals: Kenley Jansen (1yr/$10 million), Ian Anderson (trade w/ATL), Garret McDaniels (Rule 5 from Dodgers), Ryan Johnson
Departures: Carson Fulmer, Hunter Strickland, Jose Suarez, Adam Cimber, Roansy Contreras, Kenny Rosenberg...and more
The Angels didn’t want to hand the closer role to Ben Joyce just yet so they signed the man with the fourth most saves all-time, Kenley Jansen. The 37-year-old righty still has a little bit left in the tank. While his 10.2 K/9 was the worst of his career, Jansen’s 3.29 ERA was his second best over the last six seasons. While the team is hoping Joyce can improve on an impressive 2024 season, the closer role is almost certainly to be his in 2026, barring injury. Anderson, recently acquired from the Braves, is hoping to return to form after not pitching in the Majors since 2022. Burke had a good showing in Anaheim last season after struggling in Texas. Detmers will hope to stay ready for spot starts while giving the team a high strikeout lefty.
Ryan Zeferjahn came over from the Boston Red Sox in a trade for reliever Luis Garcia last season and he pitched incredibly well in 12 appearances. The team hopes he can maintain his form in 2025. Ryan Johnson is an incredible story as he’s making the team after being drafted in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft. Impressive enough, yet Johnson did not pitch in the minors last season.
Down on the Farm
Christian Moore and Caden Dana both have a role to play in the Angels 2025 season. Matthew Lugo should also get a shot sooner rather than later. Moore came out hitting after being drafted in the first round out of Tennessee, before an injury erased any chance of playing for the Angels in 2024. But, the Angels have been aggressive moving top draft picks since GM Perry Minasian took over. Chase Silseth, Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel, and now Ryan Johnson, have all been the first person from their draft class to debut in the Majors. Dana struggled mightily in three starts and will start the season in the minors to sharpen his command. Yet, he could easily be the first option should Hendricks struggle (or Kochanowicz...but I lean toward Hendricks).
Angels 2025 Season Review – Final Thoughts
A whole lot of things would have to go right for the Los Angeles Angels to make the playoffs in 2025. Too many things, really. That’s why they have the second lowest win total in the American League for season long betting lines – White Sox are historically low. Yes, they are even lower than the Homeless Athletics (formerly of Oakland).
Maybe the young players take big steps, maybe they acquire a quality starter, Trout stays healthy, and Moore ends up being a prime Jeff Kent at the plate...even so, they probably will come up short in the AL West.
So what should a Los Angeles Angels fan do? Simple: boycott the team. More specifically, boycott the ownership -- Arte Moreno, to be exact. Don’t go to games. Don’t watch them. Don’t buy the merchandise. Bad mouth them on the internet. You know the drill. It’s going to be a long season so we might as all join together and not give Moreno any of our money.
Season prediction: 75-87, 4th in AL West