3 biggest questions the Angels must answer in 2025

The Angels find themselves in a strange spot heading into the 2025 season. After years of mediocrity which tarnished their past glory, the team seemingly hit a nadir in 2024 with a franchise-worst 63-99 record.

At the outset of the offseason, owner Arte Moreno promised an increase in payroll and a return to competitive baseball. The payroll is up, though maybe not to the extent some fans would like, and others within the organization have echoed the competitive baseball talking point.

Competitive doesn't necessarily mean contending, however, and it's likely that the Angels have their sights set on 2026 as the year the return to contention fully gets underway. In the meantime, they'll look for improvements, and to stay in more games even if the losses still outweigh the wins on the ledger.

To that end, there are three pressing questions the team must answer this season to prove that they are on the right track, able to play competitive baseball, and position themselves to overcome the doldrums of the last decade plus.

Mike Trout must stay healthy and play at a near-MVP level

It's nearly impossible to overstate how good Mike Trout was in his prime. Sometimes overlooked due to his soft-spoken nature, the casual baseball fan has all but forgotten Trout as injuries have ravaged the last three-time MVP's last several seasons.

Over the past four seasons, Trout has averaged just 66.5 games played per, leaving a massive void in the Angels lineup. Heading into spring training, the Angels made the calculated decision to move Trout to right field hoping to preserve his body, a move that he has stated is helping him tremendously.

While a healthy Trout is integral to the Angels returning to play competitive baseball, he can't do it all single-handedly. The Angels last made the playoffs in 2014, Trout's first MVP season, meaning he's had two other MVP years plus several other runner-up finishes where the club finished the year sitting out the big dance.

Even when paired with a unicorn in Shohei Ohtani, the pair couldn't propel the Angels to the playoffs. In order to be competitive and build the foundation to return to perennial contender status, Trout will need help. He may be the Angels' most important player, but he cannot be a one-man show.

The Angels need answers from their young core

The Halos are counting on a lot of young players to become building blocks for the future, and in some ways, they have seen success already. In some ways, the Angels are sitting pretty with burgeoning young stars at key positions, such as shortstop Zach Neto and catcher Logan O'Hoppe.

Those two positions are some of the hardest to find quality pieces, and both look to be on the verge of massive breakouts. That bodes well for the Angels' future, but as history has shown, a handful of players can't do it all on their own.

The second-tier of Angels young players -- such as Nolan Schanuel, Jo Adell, Mickey Moniak, and eventually Christian Moore -- will have to step up and prove that they can be part of a winning foundation.

Some have very specific questions they must answer. For example, while there's a lot to like about Schanuel's game from the advanced plate discipline to a real skill to put the bat on the ball, in order to be a net-positive he's going to have to generate some type of power as a first baseman with limited defensive value. If he can do that, he'll be part of the solution, but if not he'll top out as an interesting yet ultimately unproductive type of player.

Other slightly older players like Adell and Moniak are running out of chances to prove they can realize their once-immense potential. There have been some flashes, but ultimately both have come in as replacement-level players despite many opportunities in recent years. At least one will need to take a step forward for the roster to become formidable.

Lastly, Christian Moore headlines the next wave of youth alongside position players like Matthew Lugo and Kyren Paris, as well as pitchers Sam Aldegheri, Caden Dana, and George Klassen. Not all of these youngsters will get a ton of run in 2025, but those who do will need to hit the ground running.

For years the Angels have lacked the requisite depth to build a true contender and the latest youth movement will be crucial to rectifying that longstanding issue. Not all need to hit, but the majority do if the Angels want to return to their once-proud ways.

Will this be the year the Angels finally get solid results from their pitching staff?

Over the last four seasons, the Angels have had a pitching staff that ranks near the bottom of the league. By ERA the team ranked 22nd in 2021, 9th in 2022, 23rd in 2023, and 26th in 2024. Simply put, the team has been completely devoid of talent on the rubber.

For years the club has seen veteran additions underperform and young talents flame out which has severely held the team back. That will need to change if the Halos are to field a competitive team again.

The team has addressed the rotation and the bullpen with veteran additions Yusei Kikuchi and Kenley Jansen to anchor the rotation and bullpen respectively. They also have another crop of young, unproven arms behind them.

Kikuchi will have to show that he's closer to the guy who twirled 60 innings of 2.70 ERA ball down the stretch in Houston as opposed to the guy who owns a 4.57 ERA in six major league seasons. Jansen will have to prove that, although removed from the most dominant period in his prime, his 37-year-old arm can still reliably close out games.

Youngsters like Jack Kochanowicz, Reid Detmers, and Ben Joyce will have to prove that their production matches their talent, while the next wave of young Angels hurlers will need to show that they can competently fill roles once called upon.

Again, not every piece will need to turn into a superstar, however as a whole the Angels will need a pitching staff that can prove to be average or better for the first time in years if they want to compete and springboard back into contention in the coming years.

If the Angels are able to answer these questions in the affirmative, 2025 will be a season of growth and bright spots as the future outlook will greatly improve. If not, the bleakness will continue and fans will grow even more restless after years of futility.

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