Since the trade deadline, the Los Angeles Angels have 5 wins and 11 losses. The possibility of the Angels making the playoffs is nonexistent.
Ex-Angels manager Joe Maddon gave his opinion on why the Angels haven’t responded well to the new acquisitions.
First, the expectations of the Angels improving from being a .500 club to becoming a .600 team were unrealistic. Most mediocre teams don’t suddenly become good no matter how many new players they add.
The Angels made the right moves on paper, but a number of things still needed to fall the right way.
The Angels didn’t study the character of their acquisitions before obtaining them to see if they would fit into their clubhouse. For most teams, it takes time to establish good chemistry. During spring training, most teams have chemistry-building exercises. At the deadline, teams don’t have time to do chemistry-building exercises. Teams need to study the character of the players who they want to acquire and see if they would melt into the clubhouse.
Lucas Giolito of the Chicago White Sox was one of the top starters that most teams wanted before the trading deadline, but as an Angel, Giolito has performed awfully. According to Maddon, Giolito is having difficulty adjusting to pitching for a good team with pressure to win.
As a White Sox, Giolito had 6 wins, 6 losses, and a 3.79 ERA, and as a member of the Angels, he has 1 win and 3 losses with an 8.14 ERA. Giolito has been a bust.
The deep dive by Maddon can be found here.
More must-reads: