Los Angeles Angels shouldn’t be content with .500 in 2019

The Los Angeles Angels have hovered around .500 for all of the 2019 season, which seemingly is okay in the eyes of the front office.

*Disclaimer: We recently learned about the passing of Los Angeles Angels pitcher, Tyler Skaggs. This article was posted prior to the announcement, although Skaggs was never mentioned. Our deepest condolences go out to Skaggs’ family, friends, the Los Angeles Angels and anyone affected by the news. 

The Los Angeles Angels finally got over the .500 hump with four straight wins and moved to a season-best two games over .500. With momentum on their side, the Angels could have done some damage in a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics to secure their running for the wild card.

Instead, the Los Angeles Angels did what they have done all season and got swept after a four-game winning streak. Now, the Angels are back under .500 and remain in the mediocre middle ground of the MLB.

It is a shame too as the Angels have some of the most talented players in the league and actually have the best baseball player on the planet. Mediocrity should not be a win for the Angels, it should feel like a massive disappointment.

More from LA Sports Hub

• Lakers: 5 Players to Target Through Trades to make another championship run
• LA Chargers: Week 8 against Denver Broncos is a must-win
• LA Rams: Jared Goff wants to keep the Los Angeles title streak going
• Lakers Rumors: Los Angeles Clippers interested in Rajon Rondo
• LA Chargers: Justin Herbert wins AFC Rookie of the Month

However, based on the moves that the team has made and has failed to make, it appears as if finishing around .500 feels like a win for the front office. This is a team that is biding its time this year with the future in mind.

That is not a terrible mindset to have when you don’t have talent. The Angels have the best player in baseball, an exceptional two-way player and other key pieces that could be part of a World Series-contending team.

The worst thing to do is to mortgage the future, which is exactly what the Angels should avoid. However, exclusively signing terrible pitchers to one-year contracts but then passing on Dallas Keuchel on a one-year contract because of a “budget” is bewildering. They had luxury tax space, so that was not an issue.

And I get they do not want to commit to yet another big contract and that is completely fine. However, they have to do something for the big league club to make a playoff run and passing on Keuchel indicates that they are either over-confident in one of the league’s worst starting rotations or content with missing the playoffs.

Playoff experience is huge and the Angels are talented enough to beat any team in the league in a one-game playoff game. A five or seven game series is different, but just having that experience under their belt is something that is massive and can be built on for a team.

So while the team should avoid these huge contracts that will bite them in the butt, they need to take risks. Trade a prospect that is on the fringe of the top-30 for a decent expiring starting pitching arm. Do something to show the fans that you actually want to make a playoff run without hurting the future.

I respect wanting to maintain the farm and rely on them in the future but it is not like there is much pitching to look forward to in the farm system, at least in the near future.

The Angels only have three starting pitching prospects in their top 30 with AAA experience. Two of which have an ERA over 7.00 in triple-A.

Yes, they have some potentially good prospects in the lower stages of the farm system that have been putting together some decent numbers. But it is only going to get harder and having good numbers in single-A shouldn’t be something to bank the future of the organization on.

Especially considering that none of these pitchers in the lower levels are super highly touted. The Angels’ third-best pitcher in the organization, Patrick Sandoval, has a projected ceiling of a fourth starter by MLB Pipeline.

Yes, guys can play past projections, but looking at the farm and saying that is the future of the team and will lead to the playoffs when the farm still is below league average is questionable. This isn’t the San Diego Padres.

So being content with just staying afloat now is not the answer. Don’t take massive risks, but don’t be afraid to do something to make a run at the wild card spot and see what happens then.

Because right now, as they have shown all year long, the Los Angeles Angels are too inconsistent to make a playoff run with this current starting rotation. Upgrades are needed if the front office is serious about winning this year, which we are not sure if they even are.