3 biggest hurdles the Angels will face when the 2024 season begins

The Los Angeles Angels have completed eight straight losing seasons and nine straight years without a playoff appearance. It's been nearly a decade of this franchise being one of the worst in baseball, and Shohei Ohtani's departure will only make things more challenging.

For this team to even be somewhat competitive in 2024, they're going to have to overcome a lot of adversity. When they had Ohtani, they at least had the argument that star power could get them through and help them stay in the race. It did last season before things fell apart. That's no longer valid with Shohei gone.

The Angels competing isn't an impossibility, but it's certainly unlikely. For it to even be a conversation, these are the biggest hurdles the team will have to overcome.

1) The LA Angels will need to figure out how to stay healthy

Here's an easy one. The Angels have been absolutely ravaged by the injury bug in recent years. No, it's not the only reason why they've finished with losing records, but the injuries have undoubtedly played a major role. Even Ohtani spent several years with the Angels battling through injuries. This past season was no exception as he had to stop pitching in late August and stop hitting in early September.

Ohtani, while dealing with his fair share of dings throughout the years, happened to be one of the more durable Angels as well. The MVP led the team in games played despite missing most of the final month entirely. Part of that has to do with the Angels turning over their roster from where it was on Opening Day, but a big reason for that has to do with all of the injuries the team suffered.

The main culprits, of course, are Mike Trout and especially Anthony Rendon who have had a miserable time trying to stay healthy.

The Angels season seems to fall apart each year when the stars get hurt. The team's lack of depth has been a glaring issue for a while now, and that will be no different in 2024. For this team to stand a chance, they're going to have to stay healthy. Mike Trout especially.

3) The LA Angels lack star power in the middle of their lineup

Ohtani's loss on the mound is glaring, but his loss at the plate is just as big of a deal. The Angels lost the guy who was arguably the best hitter in the sport in 2023, and who just put together one of the best single seasons in franchise history. If Ohtani stays healthy, he annihilates Troy Glaus' single-season home run record. He finished just three behind it despite missing nearly a full month.

Replacing Ohtani is impossible at the dish. Even if the Angels sign a free agent like Cody Bellinger or J.D. Martinez, they're not Ohtani. This doesn't mean they shouldn't do it, they absolutely should, but expecting this lineup to be better than they were in 2023 is likely wishful thinking.

When it comes to star power in the middle of the lineup, it's Mike Trout and a lot of finger crossing. When Trout is healthy, he's still elite. He might not be the best player in the game like he once was, but he's still one of the best and one of the most-feared hitters in the game today undoubtedly.

The Angels hope Anthony Rendon will bounce back every year and every year they walk away disappointed. Expecting anything from him would be a mistake. The next-best bet is who, Brandon Drury? The Angels second baseman is a nice player who had a great year in 2023, but if he's your second best hitter that's a problem.

The Angels hope Taylor Ward bounces back, Luis Rengifo keeps his second half form, and that their young players improve, but again, this was an average lineup with Ohtani. How they'd suddenly score more without him is something I'd never know enough to even be able to predict.