Astros turmoil could help turn Angels into surprising AL West contenders

The Los Angeles Angels are in unfamiliar territory during the first few weeks of the 2026 season; they aren't bringing up the rear of the American League West. The Angels don't need to squint to see first place, they're only a half a game behind the Texas Rangers an upstart Athletics. Circumstances could certainly change, but for the Halos, they could be the true beneficiaries of a rival's collapse.

Everything is taken with a grain of salt during the first month of the regular season, and generally, until Memorial Day at the earliest. But things in Houston already look bleak. The Astros have a record of 8-12, and to accentuate just how bad they've been, they've lost eight of their last ten games.

The Astros entered the season with enough established veterans on their roster that their floor was going to be relatively high. Along those lines, their offense has been one of the best in baseball this season.

The Astros' biggest problem is that the floor of their pitching staff has been taken out from underneath them. Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier are sidelined for the next several weeks as both are recovering from a Grade 2 shoulder strain. Tatsuya Imai, their biggest free-agent expenditure, appears to be broken. And the early project of Mike Burrows hasn't worked out in Houston's favor.

In the bullpen, the Astros are still waiting for Josh Hader to get healthy, and Bryan Abreu has struggled as the team's closer.

Astros' 2026 disaster (so far) is an opening for the Angels

The Astros are inching closer and closer to a reset that will likely include the firings of Dana Brown and/or Joe Espada before the end of the season, and that is the exact opening that LA needs.

If the Astros' competitive run is nearing its end, the opportunity is there for the Angels to be a surprise contender this season. Of course, some important questions need to be answered for Kurt Suzuki's club. They haven't got the strongest of production out of the third base position, and the starting rotation outside of José Soriano is littered with question marks.

Those concerns will need to be addressed if the Angels are going to stay competitive for the entire season. But couple the Astros' impending collapse with Mike Trout doing Mike Trout things, and the result is a possibly surprisingly fun summer for the Angels.

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