MLB insider's ludicrous power rankings predict no improvement from the Angels in 2025

With free agency all but buttoned up and spring training upon us, it's time for the first wave of 2025 power rankings to start coming out. While many believe the Angels are one of the more improved teams heading into 2025 not all agree.

Coming off a dreadful 2024 campaign where nearly everything that could go wrong did go wrong, the Angels had a ton of work to do. 2024's final win-loss tally, 63-99, was the worst mark in franchise history and the fourth-worst record in all of baseball on the year.

With so many improvements to the roster, both externally and internally, the team has to be better in 2025, right.... right? Not if you ask The Athletic's baseball guru and former MLB general manager, Jim Bowden.

Bowden's Valentine's Day gift to the world, his start of spring training power rankings, has the Halos ranked 27th, four-worst in the league, and the same place their stomach-turning 2024 season landed them. Bowden's assessment makes no sense in the context of his comments, writing:

"The Angels committed more than $100 million this offseason to land players, including pitchers Yusei Kikuchi, Kenley Jansen and Kyle Hendricks; infielders Kevin Newman and Yoán Moncada; catcher Travis d’Arnaud; and outfielder/DH Jorge Soler, whom they acquired in a trade with the Braves. Kikuchi is a solid middle-of-the-rotation starter, d’Arnaud is one of the game’s best backup catchers, and a declining Soler still has some power from the DH spot, but I just don’t see the bang for the buck considering what they spent on this overall group."

Jim Bowden, The Athletic

He goes on to note that in addition to all those improvements, the Angels are banking on Mike Trout staying healthy and the development of several key young players, while then proclaiming that the team, "...this team seems destined to again finish in last place."

Bowden misses the mark on the Angels on two key fronts

First, he fails to address one of the prime reasons for the dismal 63-99 record last season which was a lack of depth. Simply put, you can't bemoan the fact that key players like Trout and Neto need to be healthy while also calling out the improvements that add necessary depth to the roster and still paint it as a failure.

For example, the "declining," as Bowden put it, Jorge Soler put up a 119 wRC+ last season, which, of course, is six percent better than his career mark of 113 and lightyears ahead of the 80 wRC+ mark that Willie Calhoun and 15 others combined to put up for the Halos last season.

Kikuchi and Hendricks not only are upgrades to the rotation from the pitchers they're replacing, but they also add much-needed veteran depth to go along with a slew of young arms waiting in the wings.

Speaking of depth, Kevin Newman is a much more capable utility infielder than anything the Alngels had to run out there after injuries ravaged the infield last season. And while third base is still manned by a player with injury concerns in Yoan Moncada, at least he would actually be missed should he have to spend an extended period of time on the IL, as opposed to everyone's favorite albatross, Anthony Rendon.

Secondly, it's asinine to imagine that at least some of the Angels' young core won't be better in 2025 than they were in 2024. Zach Neto is already on the path to superstardom. Logan O'Hoppe, who Bowden didn't account for, is already one of the better catchers in the league. Nolan Schanuel has already shown baseline skills that make him a productive player despite his opportunities. The list goes on.

Not every young player will take a step forward. And yes, it's true, the Angels are counting a lot on the health of players like their franchise cornerstone, Mike Trout, if they want to achieve their stated goal of truly contending in 2025.

It's fair to say that the team hasn't improved enough to meet those lofty expectations. But to claim they'll be just as bad in 2025 based on the improvements they've made and the information we have now? That's just asinine.

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