Since the arrival of outfielder Mike Trout in 2011, the Angels made the postseason only once (2014). In addition, they’ve had a losing record in each of their previous six years. Los Angeles finished 22nd in ERA (4.69). Their bullpen had 37 wins, 29 losses, and 39 saves with a 4.59 ERA (24th).
Even with a breakout offensive season by DH Shohei Ohtani, the Angels ranked 17th in runs (723), 20th in home runs (190), and 15th in RBIs (691). Their struggles came from 126 games missed by Trout and 104 games by 3B Anthony Rendon.
Los Angeles solidified the ninth inning by re-signing RP Raisel Iglesias. They also added RP Aaron Loup and RP Michael Lorenzen. They lost SP Alex Cobb (SF), SP Dylan Bundy (MIN), RP Alex Claudio (NYM), RP Steve Cishek, OF Adam Eaton, and C Kurt Suzuki to free agency. The Angels' top addition was SP Noah Syndergaard ($21 million for one season). LA also acquired IF Tyler Wade in a minor deal with the Yankees.
