The plan for Trout and more offseason questions facing Angels

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ANAHEIM -- After setting the franchise record for losses in a season, the Angels have plenty of questions heading into next year.

There’s no doubt the plan for the future is about building around a young core that went through its ups and downs in a tough season, though the Angels believe they’ll be better in the long run because of what their young players went through and the experience they gained.

Still, plenty remains unresolved, so here are five questions facing the Angels this offseason:

How much are they looking to spend in free agency?

The Angels cut payroll heading into the past season and it’s unclear how much they plan to spend this offseason, but the early indication is that payroll will go up. They could use help in just about every area, but the free-agent class isn’t considered especially deep. There are some premium free agents out there -- such as superstar outfielder Juan Soto, third baseman Alex Bregman and starting pitchers Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell and Max Fried, but there's no guarantee that the Angels will to wade into that part of the free-agent pool.

How willing are they to trade prospects or even veterans?

A relatively thin free-agent class could lead to a frenzy of trades this offseason. The Angels could decide to go that avenue to upgrade the roster, but they’d have to trade some of their prospects to make it happen. There will also be interest in outfielder Taylor Ward -- who has two years left on his deal -- as well as infielder Luis Rengifo and lefty Tyler Anderson -- who will be free agents after next year. The Angels see all three veterans as key pieces, but if they can get the right return of cost-controllable young talent, it could make sense to trade them.

What’s the plan for Mike Trout next year?

Trout, who was limited to 29 games because of a torn meniscus that required two surgeries, said he’s open to moving to a corner spot or serving as the designated hitter more often in an effort to stay on the field next season.

But the Angels are still debating what’s best for Trout next year and going forward. His recent ailments -- which include a left knee issue this year, a hamate fracture last year and a back injury in 2021 -- were caused while at the plate. And even his season-ending right calf injury in '21 came while running the bases.

So even if Trout did serve as DH more, it would lead to him swinging the bat more often, especially in the cages before his at-bats. And while the corner-outfield spots require less running, they also require more cutting and making difficult throws while also having to deal with the walls in foul territory.

Plus, if Trout doesn’t play center, somebody has to, and the Angels don’t have an everyday center fielder on their roster. So it’s a complicated issue that they’ll have to solve before Spring Training.

Which prospects are ready to step up?

It’s no secret that the Angels are trying to build a young core for the future, and they have several top prospects who either got their first taste of the Majors this year or are close to reaching the big leagues.

Right-hander Caden Dana (the Angels' No. 1 prospect) and lefty Samuel Aldegheri (No. 8) each made three starts, while second baseman Christian Moore (No. 2) and outfielder Matthew Lugo (No. 12) are close to being Major League-ready. The Angels also have several young arms they like, including right-handers George Klassen (No. 3), Ryan Johnson (No. 5) and Chris Cortez (No. 10).

What will Anthony Rendon’s role be next season?

Rendon has been injury-prone over the last four seasons, playing a combined 205 games out of 648, and he simply wasn’t productive in 2024, hitting zero homers in 57 games while being placed on the injured list three times. He’s still due $38.5 million in '25 and '26, so he’s not going anywhere this offseason, but the Angels are likely to add an everyday third baseman or possibly move Rengifo there, as it’s proven difficult to count on Rendon to stay healthy at this point. But even Rengifo has injury concerns, so the Halos will need to add to their infield.