Looking Back at the Angels 2024-25 Offseason after 2 Months
June 5, 2025 - Written by Brayden Zielke
Photo Credit : @Angels - X
Now that we are two months into the 2025 MLB season, I thought it would be appropriate to look back at the Angels' big moves from the 2024-25 offseason.
Angels acquired OF/DH Jorge Soler from the Braves in exchange for P Griffin Canning:
Back in October, the Angels acquired slugger Jorge Soler from the Braves. So far in 2025, Soler has been pretty disappointing, hitting only .221 with a .685 OPS and an OPS+ of 92. Solid power numbers would make up for these stats, but unfortunately Soler has only hit 8 home runs and 23 RBIs through 54 games, meaning that Soler is on pace to hit 24 home runs and 69 RBIs, a very disappointing pace for someone with so much power.
To acquire Soler, the Angels sent pitcher Griffin Canning to Atlanta. Throughout his 5 seasons pitching for the Angels, Canning was a relatively average pitcher with average numbers. The Braves ended up non-tendering Canning less than a month after the trade, making him a free agent. Canning ended up signing with the New York Mets less than a month later, inking a 1 year deal for $4.25 mil. Through 11 starts with the Mets, Canning has been really good, showing off a 5-2 record with a 3.23 ERA. This makes it really difficult to grade this trade. The Angels gave up a pitcher they likely would’ve non-tendered, and the Braves gave up a player that they didn’t want to pay and haven’t reaped the benefits of the player they got in return. While I would love to see better numbers for Soler, I have seen him at his best and have to trust that he will pick up the home run pace.
Angels sign LHP Yusei Kikuchi to a 3 year, $63 million contract:
The Angels inked Japanese star Yusei Kikuchi to a 3 year deal back in November. Kikuchi started the season off on a somewhat rocky tone, giving up 10 ER in his first 3 starts. However, Kikuchi has been stellar throughout the last month, having no starts with two earned runs given up per start and a 1.89 ERA in the month of May. So far this season, Kikuchi has a 3.06 ERA and an ERA+ of 134. There has been no reason for me to not like this signing thus far, so I am hopeful that Kikuchi keeps these numbers up for the rest of the season.
Angels sign C Travis d’Arnaud to a 2 year, $12 million contract:
The Angels signed d’Arnaud to his 2 year deal back in November. While Travis d’Arnaud’s numbers have been uninspiring thus far, I still like this deal. d’Arnaud was brought on to be a mentor and a backup for Logan O’Hoppe. His sample size is really small, so I don’t feel that it’s fair to judge him at this point in the season.
Angels sign RHP Kenley Jansen to a 1 year, $10 million contract:
The Angels signed Kenley Jansen, one of the greatest closers of all time, back in February. Jansen has pitched in 19 games for the Angels and at face value, his numbers aren’t very good. Jansen has a 5.19 ERA as a closer, which is thankfully due to one terrible game. On May 2nd, Jansen gave up 6 earned runs in 0.2 innings of work against the Detroit Tigers. Without this game, Jansen would have a 2.16 ERA. Because of this, I think that the Jansen signing has been a success thus far for the Halos.
Angels sign INF Kevin Newman to a 1 year, $2.75 million contract w/ option for a 2nd year:
The Angels inked Kevin Newman to his 1 year deal back in November. Newman was coming off a very strong 2024 in which he hit .278 with a 2.2 WAR. Many people, including myself, saw Newman as a temporary piece to play Shortstop while Zach Neto was recovering from injury. Newman has been abysmal for the Angels in 2025, recording only 9 hits in 23 games. The fact that Newman is still on the active roster is surprising to me and I can’t see him remaining on the team much longer.
Angels sign RHP Kyle Hendricks to a 1 year, $2.5 million contract:
Kyle Hendricks signed his 1 year deal with the Angels back in November. Hendricks has been below average so far in 2025 and hasn’t impressed me. Hendricks has a 5.34 ERA and an ERA+ of only 77. While he has shown flashes of the pitcher he used to be, I don’t think Hendricks has done enough to deserve a roster spot for the remainder of the season.
Angels sign 3B Yoan Moncada to a 1 year, $5 million contract:
Moncada signed his 1 year deal with the Angels back in February. Yoan Moncada’s tenure with the Angels has been marred by hand injuries, but he has been solid when on the field. He has an OPS+ of 135 this season and has absolutely killed some baseballs this year, with a 43.9 Hard Hit percentage and 6 home runs in 30 games. I hope that Moncada keeps hitting the ball hard and stays healthy this season.
Looking towards the Trade Deadline
So far this season, the Angels are 26-32 and have been handicapped by bad managing, questionable coaching, and injuries (shocker!). Due to these issues, I don’t see any way the Angels magically become competitive in the next 2 months, meaning we will likely see some players shipped away at the deadline. Some of these players on 1 year deals are likely trade candidates, so it’s possible that Moncada and Jansen are shipped off in late July. Players like Tyler Anderson and Luis Rengifo are impending free agents that could also be traded, but the Angels have made some very questionable trade deadline moves in the last few years, so it is impossible to predict what will go down during the last week of July.
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