From Rebuild to Reload: Minasian Eyes Key Roster Upgrade to Propel Angels Forward

The messaging coming out of general manager Perry Minasian and the Los Angeles Angels has been consistent. They want to add talent and become a postseason contender in 2025. And despite being the league’s most active team through the first month of the offseason, they don’t have plans to change that approach.

They have already added two starting pitchers — Kyle Hendricks and Yusei Kikuchi — along with a couple of depth pieces on offense — Scott Kingery and Kevin Newman — a backup catcher in Travis d’Arnaud and a designated hitter in Jorge Soler. They are already a better team than they were in 2024, when they lost a franchise-record 99 games.

However, Minasian knows that the roster is still not at the level of competing for a postseason spot. And while he knows it sounds like an evasive answer, he truly believes the Angels could look to improve in nearly every phase of the roster, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.

“I wouldn’t nail it down to one need, and I’m not trying to be coy because there are plenty of areas to improve,” Minasian said. “But we’d love to lengthen out the lineup. That’s something we’ve talked about. Try to add another bat, trying to add more depth on the bench. And trying to add more depth in the bullpen. It starts on the mound. You’re only as good as your rotation, to a certain extent. We’ve been aggressive in attacking that, adding two starters in November, but we’ll look to address those other areas, too.”

The MLB Winter Meetings begin on Monday, Dec. 9 in Dallas and go until Thursday, Dec. 12. In those four days, the Angels will look to double down on their aggression and try to build a competitive roster. As Minasian says, there are plenty of avenues they can take to do that.

They could still look to add to their bullpen, which is unchanged from last season. As it stands, Anthony Rendon is still the starting third baseman, something that is seen as likely to change. And even their starting rotation with two new pitchers leaves something to be desired.

Minasian has been a man of his word thus far, and there’s no reason to believe the philosophy would change at this juncture.

Perry Minasian: Angels will keep being aggressive

Minasian also stated that the Angels are going to continue being aggressive prior to and through the Winter Meetings. Not just through free agency, but also in the trade market, as he doesn’t want to close the franchise off to any opportunities to improve.