The Los Angeles Angels have been the busiest team this offseason. What is their plan for 2025?

If the early bird gets the worm, the Los Angeles Angels should open a bait shop.

This offseason, 12 free agents signed MLB contracts. Here they are:

Of the seven players who have found new teams, four are now looking for accommodation in Orange County, California. That’s because no team in baseball has been more active so far this winter than the cellar-dwelling, 99-game losing streak and longest playoff drought in MLB, the Los Angeles Angels.

On Monday, they signed the biggest fish of free agency so far: left-handed starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi. The Japanese 33-year-old had a rough first half in Toronto in 2024, but shined after being sent to Houston at the deadline. He’s struggled to find consistent success in his six-year MLB career, but he’s shown the upside of a true front-line starter, something the Angels desperately need.

The Halos, who haven’t reached the postseason since their 2014 ALDS loss, are entering their first season in the post-Shohei-Ohtani era. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t go well; their 99 losses marked the single worst season in franchise history.

Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon, the club’s two highest-paid players, were again hampered by injuries. The Fallen Stars appeared alongside each other in the starting lineup just 19 times in 2024, despite making up 43% of the team’s $176 million payroll. Since the Angels signed Rendon before the 2020 season, he and Trout have started just 23% of the team’s games together.

Aside from that injured duo, Angels 2024 lacked depth, impact and direction. In late September, first-year manager Ron Washington told the LA Times that the team “forgot to bring real baseball players into the organization. Nothing against these guys here, but they’re not big league baseball players and they’re certainly not going to help us win a championship.” He later walked back the comments, but the message was clear: The Angels were nowhere close to contention.

Why was the team so active at the beginning of the winter? Why did general manager Perry Minasian commit $32 million to next season’s payroll before Thanksgiving? What are the angels doing here?

The answer starts at the top, with owner Arte Moreno. The much-maligned business magnate, who has owned the club since 2003, has always shown a willingness to invest in the big league payroll. However, under Moreno’s guidance, the Angels have developed a reputation for being stingy elsewhere in the organization, especially when it comes to player development.

Moreno, who will be 79 next year, was never interested in embarking on a traditional, knock-down rebuild. Perhaps he deserves credit for that. But insiders around the league generally view the Angels as a rickety operation with no plan or goal, too focused on the present and too little on the future. The team’s recent record of rushing to the top of the draft, picking up the minor league rankings at a breakneck pace only reinforces that belief.

So when Moreno decided to extend Minasian, who was out of contract after the 2024 season, through 2026, the mandate was clear: Keep the big league team competitive.

That questionable directive appears to be the main reason behind the Angels’ recent flurry of signings. In just a few weeks, Minasian signed a likely Opening Day starter (Kikuchi), a respected backup catcher with an underrated bat (d’Arnaud), a utility infielder who was sneakily solid last year (Newman) and a veteran pitcher. who can throw innings (Hendricks).

And even amid the disaster of 2024, there are reasons for optimism. A solid young core is forming around shortstop Zach Neto and catcher Logan O’Hoppe. Flamethrower Ben Joyce clocked 105.5 mph during an electrifying ride in August. Angeles’ top pick in the last draft, second baseman Christian Moore, scorched the minor leagues last summer. There are some encouraging starting pitching prospects in the upper minors.

An Angels hire could squint, pray and dream of a relatively competitive roster in 2025. Minasian, Moreno and their new additions will certainly point to the 2024 Royals, who improved by 30 games after a very aggressive offseason and snuck into the playoffs. And besides, it’s hard to blame a team that “goes for it.” A few new additions to the coaching staff could improve the culture. The American League West looks weaker than in recent years; while the Angels are unlikely to capture the division crown, they will relish those extra wins against less formidable opponents.

However, the consensus around baseball is still that the Angels will not be competitive next season. The roster is too shallow, too dependent on the health of two decrepit cornerstones. The front office has not demonstrated the ability to extract value from the hidden corners of the sport. Besides the Angels, only the Rays and White Sox finished the awards season without a single player receiving a Cy Young or MVP vote.

It’s hard to imagine a scenario where the 2025 Angels break schneid and reach the playoff promised land. Still, the Halos will continue their journey into the darkness, armed with a handful of new players and the power of irrational self-belief, hoping there’s a light out there somewhere.

Divine speed.