For years, the Los Angeles Angels had two of the best players in Major League Baseball and pinned their hopes on them to take them to their first playoffs since 2014.
Pitcher Shohei Ohtani and center fielder Mike Trout played their best in the past five years as part of the Halos. While their showing stands out, the team still comes up short each year.
That duo has been broken up. Ohtani joined their state rivals, LA Dodgers, for the largest contract ever in sports history.
Is it time to do a complete rebuild for the Halos? Is a Mike Trout trade in the cards?
If the 11-time All-Star is to be asked, he wants to continue playing for the Angels.
He thought asking for a trade was the easy way out, although he admitted that he thought about leaving the team once.
However, he wants to stay loyal and eventually win his first championship with the team that drafted him.
"I want to win a championship here," he told The Athletic.
"The overall picture of winning a championship or getting to the playoffs here is the bigger satisfaction than bailing out or taking the easy way out. I think that's been my mindset. Maybe down the road, if some things change."
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Loyalty on his part is not enough, though. Trout is now being more aggressive when it comes to front-office decisions, saying he pushes the management to make the roster better.
What have the Angels done so far for 2024?
The first major move the Angels have made so far in preparation for the MBL 2024 season is hiring Ron Washington as a manager.
Washington, 71, won the World Series in 2021 as part of the Atlanta Braves coaching staff. He worked as a manager of the Texas Rangers from 2007 to 2014.
Talking to reporters over the weekend, he said the organization's atmosphere has changed.
He compared his takeover of the Angels to when he was chosen as Rangers manager. The Halos are still trying to find their identity, and he hopes the team leaders will show the way for the younger guys.
He especially mentioned Trout and Anthony Rendon to be a leader. He said the work ethic is high and that they should keep that at that level for future success.
The Angels did not do much in the free agency (yet), but many pundits see their second-year player Logan O'Hoppe getting to the next level for them.
"O'Hoppe is primed to be the future face of the franchise, as he's coming off a strong rookie year and possesses strong leadership and clubhouse skills," said Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.
"The Angels also traded veteran Max Stassi, which allows O'Hoppe to be the club's primary catcher with Matt Thaiss serving as his backup."
The Angels also signed no. 37 international prospect Joswa Lugo. The 16-year-old shortstop is the team's investment for the future and is regarded as one of the best young players in his position.
The team also signed Matt Moore on a one-year deal to fortify their bullpen.
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