Washington's mindset for Halos: 'Get better every month'

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 -- The Angels will hit the halfway mark of the season with their game against the Tigers on Friday and are starting to hit their stride this month, going 13-10 in June after winning four straight.

Manager Ron Washington has been pleased with his young club’s progress, especially with key veterans such as Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon and Brandon Drury dealing with injuries this season. The Halos’ overall record is still just 33-46, but Washington said he’s continued to see improvement throughout the season.

“I’ve said since April when the season opened that we were making progress, and I’ve never gotten off of that,” Washington said. “June is on the schedule, and we want to do the same thing in July, August and September, and see where it goes. But that's our purpose: to get better every month. We’ve put it in time we’ve put it in work, and we should get better because we've got some good ballplayers.”

Washington said it’s a process to build a winning culture, especially with a young club led by players such as catcher Logan O’Hoppe, shortstop Zach Neto and first baseman Nolan Schanuel. Washington said he wishes it could happen overnight, but he likes the attitude of his players and said the winning will come with more time and experience.

He said this experience is similar to his time as Rangers manager and Braves coach, as the clubs learned to win over time, but he said this club is especially young compared to his previous stops. Washington understands the frustration with where the club is in the standings after eight consecutive years of finishing below .500, but he believes Los Angeles is building a winner for future seasons.

“People look at the record, but at some point, if I'm still around for a little period of time, then we can talk about the record,” Washington said. “But right now, all we’re talking about is their growth. And we're doing that, so I'm very happy with where we are.”

Neto, 23, has grown especially close with Washington because of his self-confident and outgoing personality and their work together on defensive drills in the infield. He’s fully bought in to Washington’s message and thinks things are starting to come together for the Angels.

“I feel like we’re playing good and just playing the game of baseball like we’re capable of,” Neto said. “A lot of us played together for the first time in Spring Training. And now that it’s June, we’re starting to play together.”

Washington said he believes the work the club puts in every day will help it get stronger as the season goes along, as he likes to say that when the dog days of summer come in August and September that his team will be “dogs,” and still get after it.

He also loves the accountability he sees from his players during their daily meetings and even in the dugout. He said they’re not afraid to point things out to each other if they make mistakes, and he believes those situations are growth moments for the players. The coaching staff adds to that accountability, but he also likes the way his players have been policing themselves as well.

“We’re progressing,” Washington said. “That’s what it’s about. We’re trying to get better every month. Everybody is contributing now, and that’s what we are looking for.”

Of course, things could get tougher after the July 30 Trade Deadline, as the Angels are likely to look to move several key veterans. Closer Carlos Estévez is on an impressive run and is in the last year of his deal, so he’d be an obvious trade candidate. Relievers Luis García and Hunter Strickland also could be moved. Outfielder Kevin Pillar was a potential trade piece, but he has cooled down after a hot start.

But the Angels have tougher decisions to make on players such as outfielder Taylor Ward, infielder Luis Rengifo and lefty Tyler Anderson. Ward remains under team control through 2026, while Rengifo and Anderson become free agents after the ’25 season.

General manager Perry Minasian, who is in the last year of his contract, will have to weigh what’s best for the organization in both the short term and long term. The Angels aren’t looking for a full rebuild, so he’d have to get a sizable return if he trades any veterans who are under contract beyond this year.

“In theory, guys who have expiring contracts are easier [to trade] than the guys who have control and will be part of this team going forward,” Minasian said earlier this month. “It’s a case-by-case basis.”