Los Angeles was an interesting place in 2024. The tale of two teams. One went on to win the World Series, while the other had the worst record in franchise history! Guess which one was the Angels. The other team from LA hasn’t made the postseason since 2015, and most years, they weren’t even close to contention. 2024 was more of the same! Even with the team’s horrendous performance last season, what should bettors consider for the 2025 season? Will it be the same old Angels, or will LA finally make some noise?
Angels Win Total OVER 71.5 Wins (-120)
Outlook Based Off Last Season
The Los Angeles Angels are coming off a 2024 season they would love to forget about. Hell, I think their fans would like to forget about the past 10 seasons. The Angels had an all-time franchise-worst record of 63-99. The team had a record of 21-36 by June 1st, which basically had them eliminated from any contention before the season’s midway point. Did you really expect anything else from the “redheaded stepchild” of LA? It spells disaster for any team when you are in the bottom three in Batting Average and bottom 5 in both ERA and Fielding Percentage. Hence finishing last in the American League West.
Despite youngsters Jo Adell, Logan O’Hoppe, and Zach Neto all hitting 20 plus Home Runs for the first time in their careers, the Angels had little success. The face of the franchise, Mike Trout, was yet again hit with the injury bug. The “big fish” has averaged less than 64 games played for the past 5 seasons.
Offseason Moves
Without much surprise, the Los Angeles Angels had plenty of turnover in the offseason. Departing with Starting Pitchers Carson Fulmer, Patrick Sandoval, Griffin Channing, Davis Daniel, and bullpen arms Matt Moore and Hunter Strickland. After trading him to the Chicago Cubs, the team brought in veteran Catcher Travis d’Arnaud to replace Matt Thaiss. LA brought in a handful of veterans on one-year and minor-league prove-it deals. Some names include Tim Anderson, J.D. Davis, Yoan Moncada, and pitchers Kyle Hendricks and Kenley Jansen.
As I mentioned before, Mike Trout was injured once again in 2024. The Halo’s superstar only played 29 games last season, so Trout could be considered an addition for 2025. Getting him back fully healthy should help improve this team. The addition of slugger Jorge Soler should protect the two in the middle of the lineup.
Final Thoughts
The Angels haven’t been above .500 since 2015. We’re not asking for that at all! As a bettor who cares if they get to .500, we only need 72 wins. My bold prediction for this team is that Mike Trout will play at least 100 games for the first time since 2022. Unfortunately, injuries have plagued his career. He can easily be compared to the modern-day Ken Griffey Jr. A bunch of “what ifs” surround him and his potential Hall of Fame numbers.
If this happens, I believe they will play around .500 baseball with him in the lineup. That means 50 wins with him. If he misses 62 games, the team would need a 22-40 record to hit the over. In a division where I think Houston will take a step up, the Athletics got slightly better, and the Mariners and Rangers stayed stagnant, the Angels should win 72-76 games.
The Pick Is In: LA Angels Win Total OVER 71.5 (-120)
