Three areas for Los Angeles Angels to focus on during offseason

Another year, another losing record for the Los Angeles Angels.

The Angels finished with a losing record for the 10th consecutive year, last in the AL West. Manager Ron Washington, who stepped away from the team due to medical concerns partway through the season, and interim manager Ray Montgomery were let go. Whoever lands the position will be the Angels' sixth manager since their last winning season in 2015.

The Angels' next manager will have some talent to work with. Although outfielder Mike Trout is a shell of himself, shortstop Zack Neto may be a budding star. Outfielder Jo Adell and first baseman Nolan Schanuel showed signs of progress. However, a farm system ranked 27th in the game by MLB.com will not provide much help to a roster short on talent.

General manager Perry Minasian has a lot of work on his hands. Let's take a look at three areas he should focus on.

Three focal points for the Los Angeles Angels

1. Stop trying to make Anthony Rendon happen

The Angels have played 870 games since signing Rendon to a seven-year, $245 million contract during the 2019-20 offseason. The oft-injured third baseman has played in just 257 of those games, missing the entire 2025 season following hip surgery. Minasian said that Rendon has yet to begin baseball activities, which should not be a surprise at this point.

Rendon is in the final year of his contract and has gone beyond a sunk cost. He is a symbol of the losing culture that Sam Blum of The Athletic opined hangs over the franchise. Finally cutting the cord on Rendon could be a matter of addition by subtraction.

2. Go all-in on Munetaka Murakami

While owner Arte Moreno wants to contend, the Angels realistically are years away. That does not mean that they should eschew free agency entirely. A perfect fit, for both their timeline and lineup, will be available this offseason.

The Yakult Swallows corner infielder missed most of the first half of the season due to injuries but has crushed the ball since his return, belting 22 homers in 224 plate appearances. Jon Heyman of the New York Post linked Murakami to the Angels as a free-agent fit and would fit well with Neto and Adell in the lineup.

3. Trade Taylor Ward and start paying attention to the farm system

The soon-to-be 32-year-old Ward has been one of the Angels' better hitters over the past four years. He also has two years of team control left via arbitration and would not fit a realistic timeline for the Angels to contend for the postseason.

Ward, however, would be a hot commodity on the trade block. He would be one of the better power hitters available and an immediate upgrade for teams such as the Giants and Royals. Although the Angels tend to rush their top prospects to the majors, trading Ward could help rebuild a farm system in desperate need of attention.