Ron Washington’s offseason prediction for Angels should infuriate fans

An article titled "Ron Washington doesn’t think Angels need star additions to contend" will not elicit positive emotions throughout Angels Nation.

The Angels skipper is adamant that the Angels will contend in 2025 despite an organizational nadir in 2024. Does Washington actually believe that the Angels can vie for a playoff spot next season with what they have in-house plus a few cheap additions, or has he plainly accepted the reality that this franchise is not a free agency destination and operates like a small-market team?

"When I say big-time acquisitions, I'm talking about going out and getting a pitcher where we've got to give him $30 million or go and get a player where we got to give something like another contract like (Anthony Rendon) or Mike Trout, that's not what I meant by that. And I'm not the one that makes that decision, but I can tell you, we're not going to make acquisitions like that."

Washington clearly states that the Angels are not going to spend $30 million total on a player OR a lucrative contract. It stands to reason that they will not spend Anthony Rendon-type money on a free agent anytime soon, as they do not want to dole out another massive contract like a band-aid to stop the bleeding. They are eternally triggered by Rendon. Angels fans are too, Ron, no worries on that front.

Washington alludes to Perry Minasian signing Tyler Anderson and Robert Stephenson, and the team subsequently not receiving adequate returns on their investment. The Angels gave Anderson a three year, $39 million deal before the 2023 season, and Stephenson three years and $33 million before the 2024 season. Anderson had some positives in his first two seasons, but overall has been average. Stephenson was sidelined for the entirety of 2024. So, it appears the Angels are hard-out on those types of deals now, too. They are scarred by the Anderson and Stephenson-type contracts as well as the Rendon-type contracts.

Ron Washington is trying to persuade Angels fans to believe that the team will contend despite not spending money on free agents

As Washington once said, the Angels need "real baseball players," but they are both unwilling to spend money on talented free agents out of fear of getting burned again. In baseball, teams need to scout and develop star-level talent, but additionally acquire star-level talent to bolster their existing roster.

To Washington's point, yes, the Angels' number one priority should definitely be on the development side. However, to simply punt on any attempt to acquire stars is yet another blow to Angels fans' confidence levels moving forward. The Angels DO need star additions to contend, despite what Washington believes, and they do not have a sufficient amount of internal options who can turn into stars for them next season. Washington believes that teaching players how to play the game and to play it hard is sufficient enough, despite the talent level of the players in question. The Angels have very little talent according to every single baseball insider and anybody with eyes.

Again, Washington is saying that they will contend next season, but nobody actually believes that. Are we sure that Washington even believes that? Angels fans surely do not. He could be saying it just to say it since it sounds good, but if he is serious about contending then why would he not want to try and sign a star in free agency? Signing free agents certainly helps propel teams into legitimate contenders.

Look at the Kansas City Royals! Perry Minasian cited them as a team that had a major turnaround so he could reassure Angels fans that he can do the same, but the Royals made the playoffs this season largely because the Royals' owner and GM spent money on Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha in the offseason!

Washington went on to say, "But we were running youth out there, guys that were learning. I think - not think, I know - if we'd have had guys that we depended on to be the guys that get things done around here, we wouldn't have gotten to this point. But even though we got to this point, there still was a lot of positive learning going on."

Washington is saying that the team needs dependable players, but the team will not spend money to get them. It's hard to believe that the team will develop the in-house talent into some semblance of dependability, given the lack of depth and top-end prospect talent. Washington believes in his coaching staff to the point where he declared they are all returning, but coaching continuity does not correlate to turning an unskilled group of players into a skilled one.

Furthermore, who is going to tell Mike Trout that the Angels are not going to spend money on even the Tyler Andersons or Robert Stephensons of the world? Trout's publicly implored for Arte Moreno to acquire more talent via free agency. Mike Trout told The Athletic in late September, “A couple additions in the offseason could make a big difference. It’s all up to the owner. I think that’s where we’re at.” These comments were a reiteration of what he told Minasian and Moreno before the season. Trout knows that the payroll dipped tens of millions of dollars, so he will definitely not be pleased by this continued frugality. Trout wants spending, but Washington, Minasian, and Moreno will not do it.

Washington saying the homegrown talent will develop into a playoff contender next year is a cop out for cheap ownership. Reassuring fans by saying that what the Angels already have is enough to compete is utterly reprehensible. It's so fun when you have to wait and see whether or not Arte Moreno actually wants to, you know, try. Maybe one day the Angels will return to the days when they know their owner wants to try all the time to build a contender.

Until then, the Angels fans will continue to be sold false promises.