The Los Angeles Angels were officially eliminated from playoff contention on September 7th with a 5-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Despite having 18 games remaining, the Angels cannot reach enough wins to qualify for the postseason. This elimination comes as owner Arte Moreno has agreed to sell the team, offering fans a sense of hope for the future. Interim General Manager John Mozeliak has already begun restructuring the organization, focusing on building a long-term foundation through trades and promotions within the scouting department.
This marks the 12th consecutive year the Angels will not participate in October baseball. Even a perfect winning streak for the remainder of the season would only result in a 72-win season, one game short of the Cleveland Guardians’ current 73-72 record for the third AL Wild Card spot. Fans at Angel Stadium have previously protested the team’s performance by chanting for Moreno to sell, and he has now done so.
Mozeliak, who replaced Perry Minasian in June, traded seven players before the August 3rd deadline, acquiring prospects including shortstop Arjun Nimmala. This boosted the Angels’ farm system ranking from 28th to 17th in MLB Pipeline’s rankings. He has also promoted Matt Swanson and Michael Lord to assistant GMs as part of a scouting department restructuring. Mozeliak’s future with the team is uncertain, but his recent moves are intended to benefit whoever is in charge.
The Angels currently have the third-worst record in baseball, giving them a 19.2% chance of receiving the first overall pick in next year’s MLB Draft through the draft lottery. Four years ago, the Angels would have automatically held the first pick, but MLB now uses a lottery system to determine the top six selections.
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