Angels need to make the 2026 season Perry Minasian’s last chance to figure things out

As always, the Los Angeles Angels are one of the hardest teams in baseball to figure out. The club will, at times, look like it is trying to compete, while at other times feel like it is beginning a rebuild.

The 2025 season was a microcosm of the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the club, with the Halos posting a 47-49 record in the first half and a dismal 25-41 mark after the All-Star break. Even those numbers are misleading. The first half record might have you think they were just a piece or two away from getting over the hump and contending, but those who watched the team knew that even that marginal success was filled with peaks and valleys.

At the heart of all the inconsistency is general manager Perry Minasian. Minasian is entering his sixth season at the helm, and during the last five, he has yet to build a winner. If anything, things have gotten worse and not better, with the club posting back-to-back last-place finishes in the AL West, marking the only two times they've been in the division cellar during Minasian's reign.

2026 could be the end of the line for Perry Minasian with the Angels

Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way. Minasian works for Arte Moreno, who is simultaneously one of the most hands-on yet mercurial owners in the sport. That makes it tough for a general manager to execute their vision. Moreno meddles and constantly shifts the goal posts.

Still, all of Minasian's predecessors have kept him in check long enough to make at least one signature, splashy move. Those haven't always worked out, but at least the club has had that executive's fingerprints on the team.

During his tenure, Minasian has seemed paralyzed to make big swings. One can look at the 2024 trade deadline when the Halos were truly wallowing en route to the worst record in franchise history, yet the only veteran assets he parted with were guys in the final year of their contracts.

Some of those chips, like Taylor Ward, held their value well, while others, like Luis Rengifo, saw it turn to dust over the past two years.

On the other hand, Minasian has been reserved in free agency. The 2025 offseason was a perfect example, signing veterans to one-year deals like Kenley Jansen and Yoan Moncada, which signaled an intention to compete, yet he failed to make the big moves necessary to transform a last-place roster.

Fast forward to today, and so far we've seen more of the same. Grayson Rodriguez was a nice pick up, but the rest of Minasian's maneuvers have been marginal, short-term fixes while many pressing holes remain.

Things have moved slowly this winter around the league, so there is still time for him to get aggressive and put a winning product on the field. However, in the final year of his contract, the clock is ticking.

Minasian isn't the only executive around the league to work for a demanding and difficult owner, but the best ones know how to manage upwards so that they can get their job done. He's yet to show that skill, and there's no doubt that another brutal season will put him firmly on the chopping block.

Patience has run out, and time is about to expire. This is Minasian's last shot to prove he belongs at the helm.