Latest Angels rumor showcases general manager Perry Minasian's fatal flaw

According to a new report, the Perry Minasian-led Angels tried to trade for Nolan Arenado in the offseason. While there's a lot of context missing from Bob Nightengale's report, it certainly seems like the Halos and Cardinals had some serious conversations about the aging third baseman. The Angels were in on nearly every second-tier free agent and player on the trade market this past offseason. They struck quickly with moves for the likes of Yusei Kikuchi and Jorge Soler. Their advances were spurned by the likes of Anthony Santander and Pete Alonso.

One could interpret these moves and non-moves as the general manager exploring every avenue to improve his ball club after a franchise-worst 63-99 campaign in 2024, despite being hampered by a stingy and mercurial owner. However, there's something else at play that should raise alarm bells with regard to Perry Minasian's performance. When one examines the moves he made combined with the ones that got away, it becomes clear that his vision for the team's identity is hazy at best.

Perry Minasian's performance deserves scrutiny for a lack of a coherent vision for the Angels' identity

If you look back at the early-2000s Angels teams, one thing becomes crystal clear -- the club had a clear identity. Under manager Mike Scioscia, the club prioritized the fundamentals, including solid defense, situational hitting, and strong bullpens.

Part of what produces winning teams in any sport is the ability of all of the pieces to fit together in a way where their individual skills mesh together to become something better than the sum of the individual parts. For the Angels, that isn't the case, and hasn't been so in a long while. The idea is to have a vision of what success looks like and target traits that work well together. For the Angels and Perry Minasian, this has been extremely haphazard and has lacked any overarching plan.

For example, four-fifths of the Angels' rotation are pitchers who derive success through generating weak contact. Sinkerballers Jose Soriano and especially Jack Kochanowicz derive success through high ground ball rates while also posting average or worse strikeout rates. Meanwhile, Tyler Anderson and Kyle Hendricks often rely on the defense behind them in various ways, as neither has overpowering stuff.

Given that knowledge, one would think that the Angels would prioritize having a tight defense behind them, but in reality, the Halos field one of the worst defensive units in the league.

Another example is signing Kenley Jansen, a future Hall of Fame closer who is chasing records, and then supporting him by building a middle relief and setup staff that is built upon inexperienced pitchers and redemption projects, nullifying the benefit of his veteran experience in the ninth inning.

When building a team, a general manager often has to pivot as common ground won't be found in every potential deal. However, what's important is to have a clear-eyed vision of what the team should look like, and this is where Perry's pivots often fall short.

Arenado, at his salary, wouldn't have been an ideal fit to grow with the team's young core. With a luxury tax number of a hair over $25.5 million that doesn't come off the books until after the 2027 season, wouldn't the team have been better off pursuing a more balanced option who could continue to produce at a high level while the young stars like Zach Neto and Logan O'Hoppe come into their own? Someone like an Alex Bregman, perhaps, who would have cost a marginal amount more, but is still in his prime both offensively and defensively?

In recent years, the Angels have acted like a toddler in a toy store. They've made impulse purchases with no thought as to how the acquisition would mix with what they already have, and operate with no plan B when their first choice doesn't work out, leading to wild and sometimes illogical pivots.

As a result, the team lacks a concrete identity, leading to the feeling that they are adrift as they muddle through the doldrums of mediocrity. Until they learn to operate with a clear vision, rather than making rash pivots and building without an identity, the struggles will continue.

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