Perry Minasian might not be satisfied with the Angels' youth for the 2025 season

Spring training is a time of hope and optimism. Every team takes a glass half full view of the months to come, and every general manager is happy with the group that he's assembled. Angels general manager Perry Minasian is no different.

However, despite the cliches and platitudes, sometimes it's worth taking a deeper look into whether or not there's cause for optimism beyond what meets the eye. In speaking with Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, Minasian laid out the basis for his optimism and his comments deserve some further scrutiny.

One of the key points he brought up was depth, something which was the Achilles heel of the Angels last season as key player after key player went on the IL and the replacements failed to hold down the fort.

The Halos' depth hasn't been tested too much this spring. While some other clubs have watched core players drop like flies, the Angels have been relatively healthy, with one notable exception -- the middle infield positions.

Luis Rengifo stumbled out of the gate this spring, first sidelined by an illness and then slowed by a hamstring issue, the versatile infielder may or may not be ready for opening day. Alongside stud shortstop Zach Neto starting the season on the IL and the open competition to win the starting second base job, it might seem like the Angels are in for a repeat of last season where non major league caliber players were getting significant playing time for large portions of the year.

However, some savvy additions and growth from some youngsters has put the Angels in a much better position. Free-agent signee Kevin Newman is huge for the infield depth.

Kyren Paris looks like a different player after making dramatic adjustments to his swing. Top prospect Christian Moore continues to make his case for the starting second base job. Veteran pieces like Tim Anderson, Scott Kingery, and J.D. Davis fortify the depth further.

Not all of these guys will find roles, but just their presence shows how far the depth has come. The Angels won't be able to survive a long-term absence from a key player like Neto, but they're better positioned to tread water for a few weeks while he's on the mend.

Minasian's comments about the young core illuminate what the plan for 2025 really is

Most pundits and national media people have been down on the Angels' offseason. David Schoenfield of ESPN gave the Halos a D+ for their offseason, for example. At face value, it makes sense. The Angels brought in several good players, but none are impact difference makers to vault a 63-99 team into contention.

However, taking that view is missing the forest for the trees. First, the Angels' finished so woefully bad in large part due to the injuries and lack of depth. As noted, the depth especially at what was already considered a weak point of the team has already been greatly improved. Hopefully key decisions like moving Mike Trout to right field will keep the team's most important player healthy all year as well.

Beyond all of this, one thing Minasian said to Bollinger really stands out and calls to attention what the goal for 2025 really is and what the plan was behind the moves that the team made this offseason.

"With the talent [our young players] have, I think the sky's the limit. So does that happen this year? Does that happen next year? I don't know. Everybody has different time frames on different things, and you're going to go through some adversity. But again, I believe with the group we have and the group that's coming, and what we surrounded them with this offseason with the caliber of player and caliber of person, we're only hoping to enhance that particular group."

Perry Minasian via MLB.com

And there you have it, folks. 2025 is about the development of the Angels' young core and it's development. The moves the Angels have made bringing in veterans is all about supporting that young core with leaders and great clubhouse guys like Kyle Hendricks, Travis d'Arnaud, and Kenley Jansen among others.

Jansen is here to mentor Ben Joyce, d'Arnaud to guide Logan O'Hoppe, Hendricks to serve as a teacher for the young pitchers, and so on and so forth. The Angels are investing in the development of their young core with the hope that they can eventually lead them out of the doldrums of the past decade of mediocre baseball.

The ultimate goal isn't to contend in 2025, but it is to compete, which is an important distinction. Contending means having a real shot at making a deep playoff run, while competing means being in ball games and having a chance to win, even if the Halos ultimately come up short.

This may throw cold water on what some fans want to see, but given where the team was, it's a logical position and through that lens, it's hard not to like what the team did in the offseason. This is about building a sustainable winner, and that probably won't come in 2025, but if all goes well, the team should ascend to contender status in 2026.

In the best case scenario, the young core makes a bigger than expected jump and vaults the Angels into the mix in 2025, arriving earlier than expected. Crazier things have happened, but it's important to stay grounded and look at this season as one of growth and development, just as Perry Minasian is.

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