ESPN correctly slams Angels for pitiful offseason thus far with worst grade in MLB

The Los Angeles Angels entered this offseason with a whole bunch of questions to answer. They had to figure out a direction, and more importantly, had to figure out what was going to happen with Shohei Ohtani.

Well, the second part we know the answer to, as Ohtani signed a massive deal to join the Dodgers. The first question, on the other hand, is one Angels fans are still wondering. The Angels say they want to win and made a solid managerial hire in Ron Washington, but they've done absolutely nothing of note the entire offseason. With more and more players coming off the board, time is running out for Perry Minasian to do anything.

Thanks to their inactivity, ESPN's David Schoenfield (subscription required) correctly slammed the Angels, handing them an F. The Halos were one of four teams to receive an F, joining the Mariners, Cubs, and Athletics. The Cubs signing Shota Imanaga will surely impact their grade, leaving the Angels as one of three teams to get an F. Thankfully the other two are AL West teams as well, but let's not kid ourselves. It's been a disastrous offseason any way you slice it.

The Angels have done nothing to earn any grade other than an F for this offseason

As Shoenfield notes, nobody really expected the Angels to re-sign Shohei Ohtani, so their grade isn't impacted much with them missing out. The Angels refusing to match Ohtani's offer was a bad look, but it's probably unlikely Ohtani would return even if they did match it. The reason why the Angels got an F was because of everything else they've done. Or, to phrase it better, everything they haven't done.

The Angels, as Shoenfield says, have added 26th man types. They've added players who are fine for the end of a roster but are nothing more than that. They signed three relievers, Adam Kolarek, Adam Cimber, and Luis Garcia to cheap one-year deals. They signed Zach Plesac, a starter who was DFA'd, to a cheap one-year deal. They signed players like Chad Wallach, Jake Marisnick, and Willie Calhoun to minor league deals. That's about it.

If the Angels were willing to rebuild, doing virtually nothing would've been fine. They could trade players like Brandon Drury and Carlos Estevez who are on expiring deals to get younger, more controllable pieces, to help the Angels win down the line. They're not doing that. Since they're trying to be relevant in 2024, they have to add. The only problem is they've shown no willingness to do so.

As of now, the Angels would essentially be running the same team that won 73 games with Shohei Ohtani back without him. They can potentially win around 73 games like this in 2024 if they stay healthier, but let's not act like they're close to a playoff team. If the Angels truly want to compete, it's time to make moves. Perhaps this grade will act as some sort of a wake-up call.