2026 Angels Offseason Wishlist
September 3, 2025 - Written by Isaias Acosta
Photo Credit: @Angels - X
As of today, the Angels currently sit at 65-73 and are 7.5 games out of a wild card spot. It’s safe to say that getting into the playoffs this season is no longer a possibility, especially with the inconsistency of the team and other teams heating up at the right time. With all that being said, this season can still be called a success in terms of improvement. The team won 63 games all last season and have easily surpassed that mark. The young players have all improved dramatically and the veterans have also contributed big. Earlier in the season, we went over who the team should target in the upcoming offseason in order to take this team to the next level. Knowing what we know now and how the season has unfolded, let’s take a look at what the team must do to improve and who they could possibly target.
Impending Free Agents who should be resigned
• Kenley Jansen- has been the anchor to this inconsistent bullpen and brings much needed leadership to the team
• Brock Burke- overcame early season struggles and has put in a very nice season coming in as a setup man for Jansen
• Andrew Chafin (maybe)- recently acquired lefty who can be solid but not much of a sample size with the team yet do determine if they should resign him
PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GO AND GET SOME PITCHING
Another year, another offseason where the team is in desperate need of some pitching for both the starting rotation and bullpen. The starting rotation has been anchored by Yusei Kikuchi and Jose Soriano but even they have had their occasional struggles. The bullpen has also had its struggles at times with the only real reliable options being Brock Burke and Kenley Jansen. In terms of starters, there will be guys out there such as Dylan Cease and Framber Valdez. I mention these two because they are two most notable names that the Angels should go after during the offseason. It doesn’t necessarily mean that if they don’t sign either of these guys it’s a failure, but these are the big fish that will definitely move the needle for them. This offseason will be full of reliable and veteran bullpen arms that the team must go after no matter what. Although some of the more notable names have struggled mightily this season, they are still names that are worth taking a shot on (Devin Williams and Ryan Helsley).
Munetaka Murakami
Now overall, the team is going to need a third baseman for the upcoming season as both Yoán Moncada and Luis Rengifo will hit free agency. It’s safe to say that it’s unlikely they will return to the team with Rengifo really struggling this year and Moncada not being healthy. One name that surprisingly hasn’t been mentioned more when it comes to who the Angels could pursue is Japanese superstar Munetaka Murakami. The 25-year-old slugger will be coming over from Japan after a successful run in Japan with the Yakult Swallows. You might remember him during the 2023 WBC when he represented Japan and hit a walk-off double in the semi-final against Mexico. In eight seasons with the Swallows, he has 232 HR with a slash line of .270/.394/.551. Murakami’s most successful year was easily his 2022 campaign in which he smacked 56 HR with 134 RBI, while hitting .318 and posting a 1.168 OPS. The services of Murakami will be heavily sought after, especially by a certain team that we all know about and we won’t mention. The financials will obviously be an issue, but the team has nothing to lose with pursuing him and at least making an offer.
Extend Zach Neto ASAP
Theres no denying the fact that Zach Neto is the leader of the young core in Anaheim and has played exceptionally well all year. Neto broke out last year in his first full season with the team, but this year he has taken his game to another level despite missing the first few weeks of the season. He holds a slash line of .267/.325/.804 with 21 HR and 55 RBI. He recently joined the 20/20 club for the second straight year and is only two HR away from tying his career high of 23 that was set last season. The truth of the matter is that the longer the team waits to extend him, the more money it will cost them and with the way Arte Moreno operates, that’s not an ideal situation. Neto will only get better from here and to be able to lock him up on a cheap long-term deal will be beneficial in the long run.
It could just be bias or delusion, but I believe that this team can realistically be a playoff team next season if they add the right pieces. They’ll easily surpass last season’s win total and when they played good teams, they played well. This team knows that they can hang with the top dogs of the league but to climb over that hump, they must add in the offseason.
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