MLB Insider hilariously reports that the Angels are out of the Juan Soto sweepstakes

Angels fans -- please be sitting down when you read this. The Angels' beat writer, Rhett Bollinger, reported that the Angels (seriously, are you sitting down?) are not going to pursue Juan Soto this offseason. Devastating. Heartbreaking. Take all the time you need to recover from that emotionally damaging information.

In his Angels Beat Newsletter, Bollinger wrote: "The Angels aren't in the market for outfielderJuan Soto and will likely be priced out of the top-tier pitching talent as they’re not looking for another big contract to join Trout and Rendon’s deals." Don't go making a customized Angels Soto number 22 uniform anytime soon, Soto will never be helping the Angels light that baby up. Soto will likely stay in New York for the rest of his career, either in the Bronx or Queens.

Arte Moreno vowed to increase spending this offseason, although he will not exceed the team's payroll in 2023. The Angels are no longer a marquee free agency destination, and do not have a single iota of a chance of even attempting a pitch that would mildly entice a player of Soto's caliber. Bollinger plainly stated that Soto will not be on the Angels' radar, but also noted that the team will not target top-tier pitching talent. That virtually rules out bids for Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, and Blake Snell (despite Snell's preference to sign with the Angels a year ago), and Jack Flaherty.

Angels fans are resigned to their pain these days, as they are experiencing their favorite team take potshot after potshot this postseason when MLB broadcasters and writers discuss the Angels in the context of Shohei Ohtani reaching the brink of his first World Series championship in his first season away Anaheim. Jeff Passan said that inside the Angels franchise there is "festering institutional rot" and are "terminally misrun" when he was describing Ohtani's Angels tenure. After the Dodgers' three straight World Series victories, Ohtani is slashing .091/.286/.182. A far cry from his Angels tenure, where he needed to post Babe Ruth-esque (or 'Tungsten Arm' O'Doyle) highlights and stats in order to keep Angels competitive in regular season games.

The Angels will be active this offseason but not THAT active

Smile through the pain, Angels fans. The Angels will assuredly sign somebody. Anybody. A single free agency signing should boost the team's standing in 2025, given the nadir of the organization in 2024. It cannot get any worse, right? The more likely route for the team will be activity in the trade market, and they highly prioritize the Rule-5 Draft which should help them boost their talent on the 40-man roster.

If Soto was on the market five years ago, the Angels would have made a genuine bid to obtain his talents. They gave his fellow World Series champion, Anthony Rendon, $245 million after finishing as a runner-up in the Gerrit Cole sweepstakes (Cole could opt out and be another free agent that the Angels will not pursue, despite past negotiations). Those days are over, however, and the team is just clinging to the notion that their top prospects can pan out and help clean up the mess that is currently the Los Angeles Angels.