There’s major problems afoot for the Los Angeles Angels. The Halos’ 59-62 record places them 13.5 games behind the Rangers for first place and eight games off the pace for the third Wild Card slot.

After hovering around a playoff spot for a good chunk of the season, the Angels have gone 3-11 since the trade deadline, thus eliminating them from playoff contention. The Angels have had a number of ailments that have hampered them, but their performance after the trade deadline has past shows that they don’t deserve any slack.

With the additions of Carlos Estevez, Matt Moore, and Brandon Drury, the Angels had one of their strongest offseasons in recent memory and are hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Despite its reliability, it was clearly not adequate. The Angels are now experiencing the consequences of some of their past actions.

1) The Los Angeles Angels are suffering because Phil Nevin was not replaced as manager.

No one else seems like a likely susρect other than Arte Moreno. Many Angels fans had hoped that Moreno would sell the team during the offseason, but he abruptly reversed course at the last minute. Moreno took the Angels off of the trade market a few weeks before Spring Training, so they were stuck with the players they already had.

After Joe Maddon was fired before last season, Phil Nevin took over as interim manager but didn’t do enough to keep that label. This year was crucial for the Angels, but the delicate situation at the top of the organization made it easier to keep Nevin in his position for another year.

Nevin has failed to establish himself as a competent manager, which comes as no surprise. Fans are demanding Nevin’s dismissal because of his questionable decision-making, unusual lineups, and lack of motivating positivity while the team’s fortunes plummet.

If this Angels squad is unable to achieve their postseason baseball goal, a new manager is expected to be hired in 2024. It’s possible that by the time that manager sees it, Shohei Ohtani will no longer be interested in playing for them.

The addition of Tyler Anderson has cost the Los Angeles Angels.

I became pumped up when I heard that the Angels had signed Tyler Anderson. The southpaw’s all-star season with the Dodgers was an outlier, and I didn’t think he could top it. Still, I was hoping for a lot more success for the Angels.

Anderson wasn’t signed to immediately contribute to the starting lineup. He only got three years and $39 million from the Angels, but they would have paid him much more if they thought he was an ace. Anderson was acquired to serve as a mid-rotation starter, provide guidance to the young pitchers on the club, and consume innings. None of these endeavors have been fruitful for him.

Anderson has a 5.28 ERA in 109 innings pitched across 21 appearances (20 starts). Only eight of his starts have gone the full six innings, down from 20 last year, and he’s had a few when he was simply uncompetitive. Anderson’s home run rate has increased and his walk rate has doubled from last season’s 4.8% to this season’s 9.6%.

At age 33, Anderson appears to be on the decline, but the Angels still have two years committed to him. When compared to the contracts other pitchers signed, the one that seemed like a steаl is starting to look like an albatross. Even though Anderson might become better as the season winds down, it’s obvious that the Angels would have been better off with another starter.

The Los Angeles Angels have paid the price for not going all in sooner.

The Angels’ offseason was somewhat eventful, with several veteran players being added to the roster. In an effort to improve their chances of making the playoffs, the Angels traded for and signed free agents such as Anderson, Hunter Renfroe, Gio Urshela, Matt Moore, and Carlos Estevez.

The Angels didn’t quite go for broke, which was a bummer. Despite obvious gaps in their luxury tax compliance, they were nonetheless exempt. Before the trade deadline, the team’s primary need was a new starting pitcher. The Angels could have easily re-signed this year’s all-star shortstop Tyler Anderson, but instead they had to deal their top prоspect for Lucas Giolito.

Without a reliable shortstop, the Angels started the season. The Angels didn’t have to feаr about Gio Urshela because they promoted Zach Neto from the minors after only 44 games. When healthy, Neto has been a valuable contributor to this squad, but he was never intended to be that way.

The Angels’ bullpen has undergone a drаmаtic transformation since they first reported to camp. Great additions were made with Estevez and Moore, but it was obvious they needed another arm and would have to wait until the last minute to get it.

The Angels had their deepest roster in years, but they held back from going all in due to the luxury tax. Of course, they went all in after the deadline, but by then they had already been eliminated from playoff contention and faced a grueling August schedule. In retrospect, we can see how that turned out.

The Angels would be in a better position if Arte Moreno had been allowed to spend freely over the winter, when the luxury tax threshold is typically reached.