AL West rival's offseason moves seriously hurt Angels' hopes of contending

The Angels are all-in on competing for a playoff spot, but they have their work cut out for them. Considering what the American League West looks like at the moment, especially in Arlington, TX, the Angels' should be preparing for 2026 more so than 2025. The Rangers are absolutely loading up this offseason and are easily return a World Series contender once again. The American League West will be tight next season, but Texas is the clear-cut favorite after their dynamic offseason and who they will be returning to the field full-time.

The Rangers, like the Angels, have a clear plan in place: acquire hitters with immense power who only need to flick their wrists in order to send balls screaming into the outfield bleachers. On the position player side they added Joc Pederson, Kyle Higashioka, and Jake Burger.

Pederson might be slightly overpaid for a DH who can only face right-handed pitching, but his metrics speak for themselves (his Savant page is nuts). He absolutely raked for the Diamondbacks last season, is incredibly intimidating at the plate, and is a beloved teammate. Higashioka stabilizes their weakest position group, and further addresses the Rangers' appetite for hitters who can slug. Burger cannot field, does not walk, and strikes out a ton. What does he do? Swings hard, hits balls hard...and is sneaky fast?

More importantly, they are returning incredibly important hitters to the lineup as well. Corey Seager only played 123 games last season, and is on the short-list of the best players in the sport. Josh Jung only managed 46 games, and Evan Carter 45. Not only did the Rangers add a multitude of talented bats, they are bringing back several players who had bad injury luck last season.

The Rangers' pitching staff is definitely more in-flux than their lineup, but they are still well-off in that regard. They re-signed Nathan Eovaldi, a bona fide postseason ace, a stabilizing force for their rotation, and their team-leader in innings pitched last season. Jacob deGrom will be full-go next season after making 3 starts and pitching 10.2 innings for them in 2024. Tyler Mahle will be in the mix as well, as he only made 3 starts last season as well.

They added Angels legend Hoby Milner, who should be a bounce-back candidate out of the bullpen as he changes his scenery from Milwaukee to Arlington. They added Shawn Armstrong, a crafty veteran for their bullpen. Kirby Yates and David Robertson are free agents, but they clearly will want to retain their closer and set-up man. They traded Nathaniel Lowe for Robert Garcia. Garcia, despite only throwing 59.2 innings for the Nationals in 2024, looks incredible. Like with Pederson, go look at Garcia's Savant page. The red jumps right through the screen. Even their minor league signings are formidable!

Competing with the Astros, Mariners, and A's is hard enough for the Angels, and now the Rangers are back on the short-list of contenders again. They could not take advantage of their World Series hangover in 2024, and might be out over their skis in regards to seriously challenging for the division title in 2025. On paper, the Rangers should mop the floor with the Angels. Luckily, games are not played on paper. However, things are not looking great. Thank goodness for the Wild Card.

More LA Angels News from Halo Hangout