Los Angeles Angels: Troubled Decade Continues with Bleak 2023 Season
Injuries and Disappointments Plague Halos as Uncertain Offseason Looms
The Los Angeles Angels’ decade-long struggle continued in 2023 as they endured yet another season without a winning record or a taste of playoff baseball. Anaheim, once a powerhouse in the league, now finds itself languishing in mediocrity, facing an uncertain offseason riddled with unanswered questions.
The team’s dismal performance earned them a lackluster ranking among their peers, further underscoring their fall from grace. This season proved to be a particularly painful one for fans, as injuries plagued the Halos, making it one of the worst seasons in recent memory.
Notable players like Anthony Rendon, Mike Trout, and Shohei Ohtani all suffered season-ending injuries, leaving a void that was felt deeply by fans. Their premature departures from the field caused anguish among supporters who had been hoping to see these star players in action.
Six years into the Ohtani-Trout era, the franchise has failed to provide two of the sport’s finest players with a single playoff game together since Ohtani’s arrival in 2018. Ohtani’s impending free agency casts doubt on his future with the team, and there are murmurs that Trout might request a trade after enduring a miserable season at the Big A.
26. Los Angeles Angels (73-89)
A 10-3 stretch of games to close out July convinced the Los Angeles Angels to hold onto free-agent-to-be Shohei Ohtani at the trade deadline in favor of making an all-in push to contend. They won just 17 more games the rest of the year. With Ohtani headed out the door and the future of fellow superstar Mike Trout seemingly uncertain, the Angels could be headed for a major rebuilding effort this offseason that puts the idea of contending on hold for the foreseeable future.
via Joel Reuter, Bleacher Report
While promising rookies emerged in the late stages of the season, the team ultimately fell short of their aspirations of being a playoff contender. The dream unraveled by mid-August, leaving owner Arte Moreno to confront the possibility of losing arguably the best player of this generation. The spotlight now falls squarely on Moreno as he navigates yet another offseason following a campaign marred by disappointment.
