Angels' unwillingness to address this fatal flaw could derail the 2026 season

The moves that the Los Angeles Angels have made this offseason indicate that they want to compete in 2026. While what they've done is not nearly enough to truly return them to contention, they have at least addressed some key holes.

Swapping Taylor Ward for Grayson Rodriguez may have primarily been a cost-saving move, but it also marked a point where the Angels finally exchanged an asset that had no future with the team for one that could grow alongside their core.

Since then, the Halos have made other small moves to shore up holes. Yoan Moncada is back to provide a competent option at third base. The bullpen still has questions, but there is some upside with their acquisitions.

However, beyond simply filling holes on the roster, a much more grave problem remains. Los Angeles has done little to actually improve its defense, and this negligence will turn wins into losses in 2026.

The Angels have ignored their defensive issues, ensuring that they will disappoint in 2026

It's not hyperbole to say that Los Angeles is atrocious defensively. The club ranked dead last in the majors in outs above average, and it wasn't particularly close. The Angels posted -54 OAA, while the next-worst team, the Washington Nationals, came in at -33 OAA. Defensive runs saved didn't like the performance either, grading the Angels at -45 DRS, 28th in the league.

Even by more traditional metrics, the Halos were bad. They had the fifth-worst fielding percentage at .983 and also committed the fifth-most errors with 97.

Nearly the entire roster was a net-negative defensively, which shows how little impact Ron Washington truly had on the club's performance.

If anything, the moves that Los Angeles has made this offseason have further exacerbated the problem. In trading Ward, they rid themselves of one of their better defenders (Ward posted 0 OAA last season, making him a neutral defender), and instead will have Jorge Soler, a player who has long been relegated to DH, getting regular time in left field.

In acquiring Josh Lowe, the Angels are trying to sell him as an option in center, but it's a position he's rarely played in the bigs, logging the most time in right field, where he's been a below-average defender. One way or another, it's likely Lowe or Jo Adell gets the lion's share of the center field reps, and we all saw how poorly that worked for Adell last season.

The list continues. Reuniting with Yoan Moncada might help the lineup, but the oft-injured third baseman was a defensive liability when healthy last season.

It seems as if the Angels are missing the forest for the trees. Defense is one of the more economical commodities to acquire, yet they've done nothing to tighten things up, while even possibly making things worse.

Part of this is just the way it is. Certain key pieces are locked in place, and without them taking a step to improve defensively, there's nothing the Angels can do. However, in the more marginal cases, like at third base and center field, there were other options available that could have addressed this deficiency.

Until the Angels realize that defense matters too, they'll have a hard time truly competing. The way the roster is constructed, they have an uphill battle regardless, and it won't help when they inevitably give away winnable games thanks to defensive miscues.