Arte’s Offseason of Chaos
November 2, 2025 - Written by Jacob Firmage
Perry Minasian: 1 year left as GM
— SleeperAngels (@SleeperAngels) October 23, 2025
Kurt Suzuki: 1 year contract as Manager
Will 2026 be a SUCCESS or a FLOP? pic.twitter.com/LgIM8eXOGJ
The Angels are entering a pivotal offseason. They have had these moments though. They missed chances at resetting the roster, they missed opportunities to add quality players and stopped the spending before it should have. This team moves based off how Arte Moreno feels when he wakes up. It makes projecting the roster incredibly difficult. Personally, I have tried twice and neither seems likely even to myself, just days after publishing. Because things change with no rhyme or reason. The Angels are going to try and convince fans they want to win, and it’s believable. They have watched the crosstown rival grab an all-time great and secure back-to-back World Series titles. They have tried to grab elite players and missed beyond imagination. But they haven’t even broached the idea of committing to a rebuild. It has been a terrible decision that has set the team back years, but they have committed to a soft rebuild. Arte holds more cards than I think people realize. The Angels have now poached an elite pitching coach. There are rumors swirling about an elite coaching staff with a first-year manager having a former World Series manager as his bench coach… On a 1-year deal. This year is different. Let’s dive into the different possibilities.
Old Arte Returns
Arte has a terrible, yet in the introductory speeches, exciting history of falling in love with a big prize free agent and getting his guy. This off-season’s market is filled with star level players who could fit the roster and Arte might deem as the next big jersey sale. Bo Bichette could move to second as he has played in the world series, and create a fun dynamic high sock duo of him and Neto up the middle. Maybe he loves former Dodger Cody Bellinger and finds a middle of the order left-handed quality bat to sell some merchandise. What about a pitcher, there are a ton, Shane Bieber, Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez, etc… Arte could let Perry build the perfect staff and blow it all up by becoming fixated on one player and then shutting down the spending because he has hit his morning time max one day and draws a line in the sand.
No Money Offseason
A fear of mine with bringing on Mike Maddux is something that could also turn into being a good thing. Arte Moreno realizes that spending “big” on a coaching staff is a cheaper option that could have more upside than spending “big” on an individual player. Spending big on a player could be 20+, or heck even 35+ million dollars A YEAR. Spending big on Mike Maddux is less than a million dollars a year. An elite pitching coach, bench coach and hitting coach could cost less than three million dollars. The Angels could build an incredible coaching staff for less than ten million dollars. The improvements from within could be huge with a great coaching staff and some additional roster pieces brought in more affordably.
What if Perry has convinced Arte that this is where the Angels find success. It would be great to have an amazing coaching staff but could lead to a lackluster offseason if they aren’t spending on the roster, and specifically relying on internal improvement. This is important. Reid Detmers, José Soriano, Sam Bachman, Chase Silseth and many of the everyday position players need to keep improving and advancing this team. That doesn’t take away from needing multiple pieces that cost money. I hope Arte plans to spend all the way around, and not just on one coach and think he’s fixed the team.
One Year Wildcard
Arte may be well approaching selling the team. Get through the Skaggs trial along with a potential lockout and collect billions of dollars in profit of this investment. He gave his GM one year. He gave his manager one year. They have options so they can be brought back post 2026- 27 lockout, but there are zero long-term contracts outside of Trout. Mike Trout is still a type of name that even in his twilight years is a fan favorite. A new owner would appreciate the Trout sales, and farewell tour. Look at the market though. Many aged veterans. Some guys who could have options turned down. Players who need a bounce back year. What if Arte looks at losing the Anthony Rendon contract next year and says let us take one swing. Trade the prospects for some individual upgrades with some team control, but also looks at one-year options to improve the team. He grabs a Cedric Mullins, Dustin May, Dylan Cease to get a boost and one try without a QO, Jack Flaherty bounce back and many more. He could boost the bullpen with one year 5–10-milliondollar deals and add 2-3 relievers who are quality arms. He could boost this team back to playoff consideration and then either flip guys at the deadline or lose them for nothing and have a huge spending capital after the lockout. I got thinking about this option today, and with the Maddux deal think this could actually be a possibility. It doesn’t bring in a Bichette or Bellinger but brings in potential or former all-stars to a new team.
Regular Ol’ Offseason
The unfortunate reality is this team as 35 or so million to spend this offseason. They spend big on one guy, make a trade of decent consideration and then shut it down. It happened last year. They traded for Jorge Soler. Signed Yusei Kikuchi to a decent contract before landing Kenley Jansen and then shutting it down. I think Jansen is back and Soler is gone. Kikuchi…. I feel we should at least prepare the idea of him being traded. They replace him with a Maddux favorite in Tyler Mahle do some around the edges changes and Perry says we are ready to roll. This team is well more than 35 million in spending capital away from contending. There are fundamental issues in the clubhouse, front office and definitely ownership. To think anyone, move could fix this team is a false hope that Arte could be willing to talk himself into once he decides he has spent enough. Imagine he kept spending on the bullpen and added Kyle Finnegan along with Jansen. Imagine he kept on spending any of the last few offseason. He shut down after Robert Stephenson in 2024. I worry he makes one move and shuts down again.
Conclusion
I called it Arte’s offseason of chaos because well, I feel it will be chaotic. I believe the Angels offseason falls within all of these categories. I think Arte may find a player he locks in on and has to have. (Hi Bo Bichette.) I think he looks at pitching staff and says Maddux will fix it and doesn’t spend there and beyond giving in on a Mahle type because Maddux/Perry sell him on it. I think we see a lot of 1-year free agents. Especially once we hit MiLB reliever options. As per our final category, we have a limit. He can do a lot of what he wants within a budget, but one day and recently it has been in early December, Arte will wake up and close the checkbook. He is the most volatile owner in baseball. He could decide to be a big market team one day just for the next day the Angels to operate as small to mid-market. Be ready, strap in, it is going to be a rollercoaster of emotions and movement for the Angels. We will love signings, hate individual trades but be here in March looking at a spring club we build belief in. The offseason is nearly here. Hopefully the Angels are ready to go.
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