Covering the Los Angeles Angels is a relatively difficult task — the organization keeps their cards close to their chest, which is a roundabout way of saying that Arte Moreno is unpredictable and nobody knows which way he will lean on any given day. The Angels are undoubtedly a big market team, but they do not embrace that reality and instead count pennies and dimes rather than spend big in order to free Mike Trout from baseball purgatory.
The Angels are saving $13 million from a win-win Taylor Ward for Grayson Rodriguez trade, which gives Moreno roughly $40 million to spend before hitting the luxury tax he refuses to dip into. It would be rather imprudent to actually spend into the luxury tax on the 2026 team, but there is clearly a path for the Angels to contend in 2027 and beyond if Moreno actually makes these two bold moves now. You gotta spend money to make money, and the Angels could build out their young core to extraordinary levels while finally getting a monkey off their back in the process.
There are 2 moves on the table for Arte Moreno to prove he’s serious about AngelsMove No. 1: Eat Anthony Rendon’s Contract
Angels fans are well-aware that Rendon is entering the final year of one of the worst deals in baseball history, but now other fanbases are starting to catch up. Yes, Rendon has one-year for ~$38.5 million left before…retiring from baseball, I guess? The team exiled him from the organization last season and he will definitely not show up to spring training in a few months, but this time around they can actually do away with him for good given that he is on an expiring deal.
Releasing him this offseason, as Jeff Fletcher suggested could finally happen, is simply a formality for both the Angels and Rendon. However, it could possibly signal that the Angels are ready to go out and get hurt again in free agency. Obviously, the Angels have been desperately seeking a full-time third baseman of both the present and future for the past five years to replace Rendon…and narratively it would excite Angels fans to no end to do away with Rendon and sign….
Move No. 2: Sign Munetaka Murakami
…Munetaka Murakami! The timer for Murakami to sign with an MLB club has started, with everybody expecting the Los Angeles Dodgers to land the slugger. However, the Angels need to position themselves well to win his sweepstakes if Murakami bucks the latest trend of Japanese players signing with the Dodgers without thinking twice about it.
Murakami is exactly what the Angels need — a left-handed hitting slugger who plays third base who will be good in 2026 and will only get better. Moreno would need to make a conscious decision to break the bank if he signs Murakami — as the AAV and signing fee alone will eat up roughly $30 million of their ~$40 million purse. The Angels desperately need a promising left-handed hitter with pop in either centerfield or third base, and spending money on Murakami plus still spreading around money to address the bullpen and outfield could go a long way in a couple years.
The Kazuma Okamoto vs. Munetaka Murakami debate is a good one for Angels fans. Okamoto was just posted, and some are saying his preference is to sign with LAA. There are certainly cases to be made that the Angels should go all-in on Okamoto, but Murakami’s ceiling and age are just way more in-line with the future of the organization. Okamoto would be a great Rendon replacement, but Murakami is ideal.