LA Angels' outfield another failure by Perry Minasian

While trading for Soler was not a disastrous move for the LA Angels - he has been a slight plus at the plate - every other move made by Minasian in regards to the outfield has been a failure. This goes beyond the restrictions that may or may not be in place by Arte Moreno. Sure, it sucks the Angels did not pursue the services of Juan Soto, but the issues are deeper than that - the organization is in a messy middle ground between rebuilding and competing.

The outfield is a prime example of that. Mike Trout shifted to right field before his injury (that seemingly grows more concerning by the hour) and Taylor Ward was slated to maintain his position in left field. Two veterans with Jo Adell manning center field - someone who is both no longer a prospect and far from a sure thing. Committing to a season of Jo Adell in center is a move that a rebuilding team makes in hopes that the incredibly low chance of him figuring things out comes to fruition. It is not a move that a team hoping to make the most of Trout's remaining career makes.

To make matters worse, the Angels released Mickey Moniak right before Opening Day in what was a clear cost-cutting move. And while Moniak has not suddenly become a superstar in Colorado, he played well enough during his time in Anaheim to warrant another chance as the fourth outfielder this season.

When Minasian was asked about the state of his outfield, he had the similar unconcerned tone Angels fans have gotten used to, stating, "I'm not going off a month. We’ve seen Taylor [Ward] show streakiness in his past. Hopefully, the bad streak is out, and the good streak is coming. We're gonna roll with what we have."

The main problem with that is that the Angels do not currently have much at all. Trout, Adell, and Ward all have batting averages under .180 with all three trending downwards for different reasons. Maybe Gustavo Campero offers a spark, but he seems like another "great in the minors, meh in the majors" player that the Angels seem to be rich in.

I'm not advocating for the Angels to trade the farm for some starting-level outfielder, I am advocating for them to find a sense of direction within the organization. Every season, hovering around .500 is enough for them to push on through. Whether they keep losing or string together some wins, they need to find a direction, and preferably that direction is not decided by Minasian.

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