Phil Nevin out as Angels manager after missing playoffs again with Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout

Phil Nevin will not return as manager of the Los Angeles Angels, the team announced Monday. Nevin’s contract expired after the season, so technically he has not been fired. He was simply not offered a new contract. This ends his tenure as the club’s manager after a year-and-a-half. GM Perry Minasian will hold a press conference Tuesday, indicating he will return as GM.

Nevin, 52, took over the reins midway through the 2022 campaign when veteran skipper Joe Maddon was dismissed. He led the Angels to a 46-60 finish as the interim manager, a performance that inspired Los Angeles to give him a one-year extension as well as the official title.

Alas, Nevin proved unable to guide the Angels to their first postseason appearance since 2014. He’s now part of what could prove to be an offseason of change for the franchise, headlined by the expected departure of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani through free agency.

The Athletic: How did Angels squander Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani? It starts with the owner’s frugality

At a time when other large-market teams had already moved aggressively to aid technological training and evaluation aids to their organization, the Angels were lagging behind. In 2019, the team brought in advanced pitching and hitting equipment such as Edgertronic cameras, Rapsodo machines and K-Vests, multiple former coaches said.

“Before 2019, we didn’t have anything at all,” said a longtime former coach in the Angels system. “No technology. Bullpens were thrown without any technology. … We were very outdated as an organization. We were years behind other organizations.”

Roughly half of MLB’s 30 teams have established dedicated pitching or hitting labs, according to published reports, and these kinds of advanced facilities are even spreading throughout the collegiate level. One of the better pitching labs in the country is at Wake Forest University. It cost the school about $12 million to create, and allows players and staff alike to hone in on granular areas for improvement — be it a release point, a grip on a certain pitch, or many other details that might lead to improvement…

The Angels have neither hitting nor pitching labs….

The Angels’ international scouting group is composed of 20 people total. Having a small department could contribute to good players slipping by, a former Angels employee said. The Yankees, for example, have 42 people in their international scouting department, per their media guide. The Giants have 35. These numbers can vary across teams, but 20 is on the low end.

Shohei Ohtani done for season, cleans out locker before Angels announce IL move

With nothing left for him this season beyond medical procedures, Shohei Ohtani has cleared out his locker with the Los Angeles Angels. Potentially for the final time.

The two-way superstar, who tore the UCL in his pitching arm last month, missed his 11th straight game Friday and it became clear after the game that he would miss more, as his locker was cleared out once reporters entered the clubhouse for postgame interviews.

Some of his things were even in the trash, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The next morning, the team announced that Ohtani is on the 10-day injured list with an oblique injury and will miss the rest of the season. General manager Perry Minasian finally elaborated on the story Saturday afternoon, telling reporters an MRI had revealed an issue with Ohtani’s oblique on Friday.

Ohtani apparently decided to clear out his locker because he is focusing on getting a procedure done on his elbow. That could mean a second career Tommy John surgery, though Ohtani has been reported to be seeking second opinions.

Report: Angels open to trading Mike Trout if he wants out

The Los Angeles Angels are willing to trade Mike Trout if the All-Star outfielder requests one, according to a USA Today report.

Earlier this month, Trout said he plans to discuss the future path of the organization with team management in the offseason.

“When it’s brought up in the offseason, you’ve obviously got to talk about it, and think about it,” Trout told the Orange County Register. “I haven’t thought about it yet. There are going to be some conversations in the winter, for sure. Just to see the direction of everything and what the plan is.”

Trout still has seven years and more than $248 million left on a 12-year, $430 million contract he signed in 2019.

Anthony Rendon ducks health question with ‘no habla inglés’ brushoff

The Los Angeles Angels third baseman, who’s on the 60-day injured list with a shin injury, ducked a question Sunday on his health.

Rendon said, “No habla inglés today,” before putting on a hoodie and leaving the clubhouse, according to The Athletic’s Sam Blum.

That comes months after the 33-year-old Rendon was suspended for four games by Major League Baseball after video of a physical altercation with a fan in Oakland went viral.

The Angels slugger was recorded grabbing a fan by their shirt at Oakland’s O.co Coliseum after losing the season opener to the Athletics, 2-1, appearing to take a swipe at him — though he did not connect.

How Much Value Did the Angels Lose By Going All-in?

All told, the go-for-it decision cost them an estimated $27M in prospect capital. They not only missed a golden opportunity to beef up a bad farm, but they absolutely decimated what was left of it. This will leave them bereft of young impact talent for years to come.

To be fair, they’ve promoted a few young players to the major-league level already (and have been one of the most aggressive teams to do so, calling up guys like Logan O’Hoppe, Zach Neto, and Nolan Schanuel). But the pipeline is dry.

So how much did the veteran waiver-wire dump salvage those losses?

Assuming any on-field production they would have received from those veterans would have been worthless, since they’re out of contention, the only positive here is the salary savings, which amount to about $5.7M.

There’s another benefit as well: The Angels were slightly over the luxury tax limit, so by shedding these salaries (update: and by putting Max Stassi on the restricted list), they scooted back under it, which means they don’t have to pay any financial penalties on the overage.

That amount would have been tiny, though. The real benefit was that the draft pick they’ll likely receive once Ohtani declines the qualifying offer they’ll issue is that it will come to them after the 2nd round instead of the 4th round. By our math, the delta between the value of those two picks is roughly $2M.

In other words, by dumping veterans, they netted roughly $7.7M in positive value.

Harrison Bader, Hunter Renfroe claimed off waivers by Reds (sources)

The Reds bolstered their outfield with two established veterans on Thursday when they claimed Harrison Bader off waivers from the Yankees and—as sources told MLB.com—Hunter Renfroe from the Angels. The Renfroe claim has not been confirmed by the teams, and the Reds have made no official announcement.

Angels salary dump: Why Lucas Giolito, Hunter Renfroe, others were reportedly cut weeks after trade

The Los Angeles Angels have placed starting pitcher Lucas Giolito, relief pitchers Matt Moore and Reynaldo López, and outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk on waivers, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Trades are not allowed after the Aug. 1 deadline for players who have appeared in the majors this season, meaning that the Angels will not receive any compensation if/when other teams claim those players. In other words, this is a mass salary dump.

The waiver-wire order goes from worst record to best, meaning that the teams vying for a wild-card spot could be in an advantageous position here. That could be good news for the likes of the San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, and Cincinnati Reds, presuming they’re willing to take on what remains of the player’s contracts.

Do note that these players will remain postseason eligible if they’re claimed, making the more than a regular-season rental, depending on how the acquiring team fares the rest of the way.

The Angels were projected to be a little over $5 million over the luxury tax threshold, according to Spotrac. Luxury tax numbers are not calculated until after the season, meaning the Angels could very well get under the line.

Former Angels all-star exposes Angels in hilarious Twitter rant

The Tweets all started with Wilson exposing the fact that the Angels refused to spend money on a special treadmill for Albert Pujols because it was too expensive. The Angels spent $240 million to bring Pujols in for a decade, but deemed that a treadmill would be where they stopped spending.

Continuing on with Arte Moreno’s cheapness, really? No breakfast at Spring Training for two weeks in 2012? No weight room? How do you expect your players to be in the best condition possible to perform for six months and win the World Series if you don’t give them resources?

Often players had to settle for Chick-fil-A for breakfast instead of a meal that might be more nutritious.

In the current day, hitters watch video a lot to help them against certain pitchers they haven’t seen before. Teams all around MLB do it, but the Angels didn’t care about telling their players to watch video per Wilson because “Vladdy never watched video and he raked.”

Why are the Angels one of two MLB teams whose radio announcers don’t travel?

Before this season, Angels owner Arte Moreno told reporters at spring training that Smith and Langston, who work for the team-owned radio station, KLAA 830, would continue to call road games from Anaheim, because the “economics” don’t change the experience.

They’ve called games remotely even when the Angels played in Petco Park in San Diego and at Dodger Stadium last month.

Twenty-eight teams resumed sending their radio announcers to away games this season. Only the Angels and Toronto Blue Jays did not.

Sources: Angels call up ‘23 first-rounder Nolan Schanuel

In the fastest big league promotion in decades, the Los Angeles Angels are calling up first baseman Nolan Schanuel less than six weeks after taking him with the 11th pick in the draft, sources told ESPN on Friday.

The 21-year-old Schanuel, who has logged fewer than 100 minor league plate appearances across 21 games and was at Double-A before his call-up, is the latest player summoned by the Angels to salvage a season with dimming playoff hopes on the verge of Shohei Ohtani’s free agency….

Outside of Ariel Prieto—a 25-year-old Cuban who arrived within a month of being drafted in 1995—Schanuel’s debut is the fastest since 1979, when Texas promoted left-hander Jerry Don Gleaton, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The last position players to come to the big leagues this quickly were Atlanta third baseman Bob Horner (10 days) and Toronto catcher Brian Milner (17 days) in 1978.

The last player to debut this early in his drafted season was Chris Sale, who came up Aug. 6, 2010—about two months after the draft, which was moved to July in recent years. Schanuel’s ascent is even more rapid, though it does align with Los Angeles’ philosophy of aggressive promotions.

Ex-Anaheim mayor to plead guilty to corruption charges tied to Angel Stadium sale | LA Times

Former Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu, who championed the sale of Angel Stadium to a company controlled by the team’s owner, has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges stemming from the since-scuttled deal.

The charges against Sidhu in a plea agreement filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana include lying to FBI agents about not expecting to receive anything from the Angels when the transaction closed — secret recordings captured him saying he hoped to secure a $1-million campaign contribution — and destroying an email in which he provided confidential information about the city’s negotiations to a team consultant.

I hate my team. I need to find another team.

The Angels Dared to Dream, But the Past Week Was a Nightmare

Yeah, about that. Since trading for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López to lean fully into this year, they’ve gone 2-9, slipping back below .500. After their playoff odds reached 22.7% on July 27, the Halos have crashed down to 1.3% in short order. That’s a seasonal low for their chances of making the postseason. Things are decidedly non-magical in the land of Disney these days.

What’s gone wrong for the Angels? Well, one thing’s for sure: it’s not Shohei Ohtani. He’s started at DH for all 11 games of the stretch and has hit a ludicrous .405/.542/.649, even better than his seasonal line. He left his lone start in that span early with hand cramps, but pitched four scoreless innings before departing. To the extent that one player can power a team, Ohtani is doing his best.

The problem lies where it always has: with the rest of the squad. The Angels are both thin and hurt; they have a whopping eight hitters and 10 pitchers on the injured list at the moment. The hitters represented most of the team’s planned lineup coming into the year: their starting catching duo of Logan O’Hoppe and Max Stassi didn’t even last through April, Anthony Rendon and Mike Trout have been out since the Fourth of July, and the injuries have picked up even more recently. Taylor Ward will miss the rest of the season after a horrific facial injury he suffered a week ago. Rookie sensation Zach Neto has cooled off, and now he’s also on the IL thanks to lower back tightness.

The replacements haven’t been able to pick up the slack. Mickey Moniak is having a tremendous season, but he’s hit a wall of late, with a 48.7% strikeout rate and 11 wRC+ in his last 11 games. Matt Thaiss hasn’t been much better; he’s hitting .111/.200/.222 while handling primary catching duties.

Angels Acquire Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez

Los Angeles declared itself buyers this evening when they formally took Shohei Ohtani off the trade market. Once they committed to making a push in Ohtani’s final season of club control, there was little reason not to act boldly. They’ve done just that, surrendering two of their top prospects for the top rental starter available and a relief upgrade.

BREAKING: The Los Angeles Angels are finalizing a deal to acquire right-hander Lucas Giolito and right-handed reliever Reynaldo Lopez from the Chicago White Sox for catcher Edgar Quero and left-hander Ky Bush, two top prospects, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 27, 2023

Trout to miss 6-8 weeks with fractured bone in wrist

The Angels were dealt a huge blow on Tuesday, as superstar Mike Trout was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamate fracture.

Trout, a three-time AL MVP and 11-time All-Star, sustained the injury on Monday, when left the Angels’ game against the Padres in the eighth inning after fouling back a pitch from right-hander Nick Martinez. Trout is expected to be out roughly six to eight weeks, which means he’ll be out until at least mid-August and possibly into September.

As corresponding moves, outfielder Jo Adell and right-hander Gerardo Reyes were recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake. Right-hander Victor Mederos was optioned to Double-A Rocket City.

“I can’t really describe the pain I felt,” Trout said on Monday. “I’ve never felt that pain, ever. I’ve never had wrist problems or anything. Just a freak thing.”

Rockies trade Mike Moustakas to Angels for minor league pitcher

Following a brutal 25-1 loss on Saturday, the Colorado Rockies announced they have traded Mike Moustakas to the Los Angeles Angels for minor league pitcher Connor Van Scoyoc. The deal was first reported by Michael Marino of FanTrax with Robert Murray of FanSided also reporting the same details.

Moustakas, 34, joined the Rockies in spring training following Brendan Rodgers’ shoulder injury and after he had been designated for assignment by the Cincinnati Reds in January. After making the Opening Day roster, Moustakas played 47 games in purple, batting .270/.360/.435 with four home runs and 17 RBI across 136 plate appearances. Additionally, he showed improved vision at the plate, drawing 17 walks to 34 strikeouts, and ended up posting a 107 OPS+ as well as a career-low 25% ground ball rate.

Angels break franchise record vs. Rockies with 25-run outburst, including record-tying 13-run inning

That’s Mike Trout, Brandon Drury and Matt Thaiss each launching solo blasts to begin the frame and give the Angels a 5-0 lead on the evening. The Angels were far from done in their half of the frame, too. Here’s the rest of their scoring from the third inning broken down into handy bullet-point form:

Jared Ward singled to left, Eduardo Escobar scored, Mickey Moniak to third (6-0);
Shohei Ohtani singled to shallow center, Moniak scored, Ward to second (7-0);
Drury singled to right center, Ohtani and Ward scored, Trout to third (9-0);
Hunter Renfroe doubled to deep right, Thaiss, Drury and Trout scored (12-0);
Escobar singled to right center, Renfroe scored (13-0);
Moniak homered to right center, Escobar scored (15-0)

The Angels had previously scored 13 runs in a frame twice. The most recent occasion occurred back on May 12, 1997. That came against the Chicago White Sox. The other time came in September 1978, when they plated 13 against the Texas Rangers. That rally was notable since the Angels notched just two extra-base hits (both doubles) during the frame. Otherwise, they did their damage with seven run-scoring singles.

Angels Acquire Eduardo Escobar

The Mets and Angels pulled off an unexpected swap Friday night. New York dealt veteran infielder Eduardo Escobar and cash considerations to the Halos for pitching prospects Coleman Crow and Landon Marceaux. New York is reportedly paying Escobar’s salary down to the $720K league minimum.

Escobar, 34, spent a year and a half in Queens. The amiable infielder signed a two-year, $20MM free agent contract over the 2021-22 offseason. He worked as New York’s primary third baseman last year, starting 125 games and tallying 542 plate appearances. He put together a decent .240/.295/.430 showing, compensating for the mediocre on-base mark by connecting on 20 home runs.

Angels unlikely to trade Shohei Ohtani if they stay in contention, GM says

The Los Angeles Angels are highly unlikely to trade Shohei Ohtani if they remain in playoff contention this summer, general manager Perry Minasian said Tuesday.

Minasian didn’t unequivocally vow he won’t trade Ohtani, who is scheduled to enter unrestricted free agency after the season. But the GM underlined his season-long stance on the issue while strongly indicating he still intends to do everything possible to end the Angels’ eight-year playoff drought – and that includes taking the massive risk of losing their two-way superstar in free agency.

“It’s pretty self-explanatory with where we’re at (in the standings),” Minasian said while speaking to reporters before the Angels opened a two-game Freeway Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are likely to be one of the top contenders for Ohtani’s services in free agency.

The second-place Angels are 41-33 entering Tuesday’s games, holding one of the AL’s wild card playoff spots and trailing AL West-leading Texas by five games after being nine back only two weeks ago. The Halos took three of four from the Rangers in Arlington last week as part of an 11-3 surge that has boosted their chances of making the playoffs for the first time in Ohtani’s career.

Anthony Rendon assault investigation closed with no charges filed | LA Times

Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon will not face charges stemming from an incident with a fan at Oakland Coliseum on March 30. An Oakland Police Department spokesperson said this week, without naming Rendon, the case is closed.

The Police Department investigated a misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor battery, according to a redacted incident report received by The Times. Rendon was not named in the report, but it listed a person wearing an Angels uniform, location and time of the altercation. The police spokesperson also confirmed that no victim ever came forward.

Angels promote Ben Joyce, 2022 draft pick with triple-digit fastball velocity, to majors for MLB debut

The Los Angeles Angels have promoted right-handed reliever Ben Joyce from Double-A to the majors, the team announced Sunday. Joyce will replace veteran lefty Matt Moore on the active roster after Moore suffered a strained oblique.

Joyce, 22, was selected by the Angels in the third round of the 2022 draft. He had gained national acclaim, or at least as much as a collegiate reliever can, during his time at Tennessee by pumping triple-digit-velocity heaters. Here’s what CBS Sports wrote about him last summer, all the while noting that he “would seem to be one of the safest bets to become the first player from this class to reach the majors.”

Joyce has a monster fastball and slider, with 43 of the former checking in at 100 mph or above during the NCAA tournament. (He topped out at, um, 105 mph during the regular season.) His heater also features good rise and is delivered from a lower arm slot, a sought-after combination these days. Teams who attempt to quantify stuff—i.e., all of them—are going to have trouble containing their excitement at what Joyce brings to the table. He’s on here anyway because there’s never been a consensus on how early is too early to take a reliever, and because teams will have drastically different timetables on when they’d expect him to reach the majors. Keep in mind, he’s thrown just 32 innings over the last two seasons due to his role and his past Tommy John surgery. A team who thinks he could reach the majors soon, perhaps even this year, might be tempted to draft him earlier than anyone else would entertain.

Angels place surging Anthony Rendon on IL with groin strain

The Los Angeles Angels placed third baseman Anthony Rendon on the injured list with a left groin strain and recalled infielder Livan Soto from Double-A Rocket City on Monday.
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Rendon, 32, first felt discomfort after fielding a ground ball during Saturday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians and did not play Sunday. He had been much improved after a slow start, batting .368 since April 24 to improve his overall batting average to .301 with 20 RBIs, but he still has just one home run.

Angels’ Jared Walsh opens up about neurological issues: ‘It’s been hell’ | The Athletic

It had been more than a full year of misery for Jared Walsh. A year that not only robbed him of the ability to play baseball at his highest level. But it was also a year that robbed him of sleep. It robbed him of his ability to simply move his body without tremors.

It robbed him of his depth perception. He’d walk into walls, unable to properly understand where his body was in relation to everything else.

Walsh believes that COVID-19 could have played a role in his issues. He tested positive for the virus on three separate occasions, beginning in mid-2020. He said he felt as though the virus didn’t affect him much at the time, but acknowledged these long-term impacts could have a direct correlation.

He’s been told by doctors that this will not impact his career over the long term. Walsh has been told by his physicians that they’ve seen worse cases than his that have led to recoveries. The concern clearly won’t be quashed until his symptoms go away fully.

O’Hoppe to miss 4-6 months with torn labrum in shoulder

Angels manager Phil Nevin told reporters (including Sam Blum of The Athletic) today that catcher Logan O’Hoppe has a torn labrum on his left (non-throwing) shoulder that will require surgery. The 23-year-old catcher, who was placed on the 10-day injured list yesterday, is expected to miss four to six months, potentially putting his season in jeopardy.

O’Hoppe was acquired by the Angels at the trade deadline last season in the deal that sent outfielder Brandon Marsh to the Phillies. A consensus top-50 prospect in the sport entering the 2023 season, O’Hoppe earned the Angels’ starting catching job out of camp this season despite having just five games of big league experience under his belt as Max Stassi began the season on the injured list. The youngster was off to an impressive start this season, with a .283/.339/.547 slash line across 16 games that was good for a wRC+ of 142.

Angels call up prospect Zach Neto, option David Fletcher

The Los Angeles Angels called up shortstop Zach Neto, their first-round pick from the 2022 draft, and sent David Fletcher to Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday.

Neto, 22, started Saturday’s game against the Boston Red Sox and batted eighth, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the 9-7 loss.

Neto is the first 2022 draft pick to debut in the majors—after only 44 minor league games with Double-A Rocket City in which he hit .322/.408/.529 with three home runs in 27 at-bats this season. He’s expected to take over at shortstop full-time.

He was the 13th selection in last year’s draft. After signing, Neto, rated as the No. 84 prospect in all of baseball by ESPN entering this season, started at the Double-A level in 2022, hitting .320 in 122 at-bats.