The Los Angeles Angels have been making all the wrong headlines, all year long. The Anaheim-based franchise has a big fan base, a big market to cater to, and to top it all off, two of the greatest players of all time – Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. Normally all these assets add up to become a successful venture but that is not at all what happened with the Halos. On the contrary, what is happening with them is just the opposite.
The Angels, who should by all accounts at least be a semi-consistent part of the postseason, have disappeared altogether from the scene. They are facing an exile for which they have only themselves to blame. But finally, after all the struggle, the team has topped the table. Albeit it’s an achievement no one wants.
Los Angeles Angels now have the longest winless streak in the playoffs
When the Angels extended Mike Trout’s contract in 2014, faithful fans hoped that a winning team around him would be created. Incidentally, 2014 was the last time the Anaheim Angels reached the postseason, ending their campaign without a win. Then for three years, there was a struggle to find balance, which they also failed. A brilliant ray of hope came when they signed the rapidly rising Japanese star Shohei Ohtani. But as the league knows, it didn’t end well.
The last time each MLB team won a playoff game pic.twitter.com/EOEwwYOkxd
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) November 5, 2023
With the two-way phenom in their fold, the hopes of Angels’ fans were reinvigorated. Ohtani proved to be even better than expected, posting historical performances. Surely they must succeed now? Yet they didn’t. The Angels again failed to make it to October, again and again, year after year. They failed to such an extent that even rival fans wondered just what was happening in Anaheim. This stat makes it easier to understand the extent of the rot that has set in on the franchise.
The Halos have not won a playoff game since 2009. This is a mind-boggling number for a team that has consistently ranked in the top 10 payrolls for the last few years. What is the reason for this downfall? According to some experts, their bad farm system makes it tougher to construct a team around their star players. Baseball, after all, is a team sport. Two great players cannot cover up an unbalanced squad for a full season.
And now with Shohei Ohtani’s exit looming large over their head, the LA Angels have a lot to worry about.
The free agency of Shohei Ohtani and its effect on Angels
2023 was supposed to be the year when the Angels would make one final push for the playoffs. They had hoped that a good season would enable them to keep Ohtani and re-sign him. Yet the team failed miserably even after Ohtani’s MVP-tier performance. With a dismal 73-89 record, the team finished 4th in their division. As a result of this, they set the stage for the two-way phenom going ahead with his free agency.
The Angels are nonetheless trying to get Shotime back in their fold but should they fail, it would act as an alarming sign to the management. They had two generational talents at the same time and still failed to even mount a reasonable challenge for the ultimate title.
His exit perhaps acts as the end of an era for the Halos. With Mike Trout’s decreasing game time owing to his increasing injuries, the club will probably look to find new anchors to lead them. Yet something will have to change in order to break the cycle of loss they have found themselves in.
