ANAHEIM, Calif. — When Kenley Jansen signed with the Los Angeles Angels last offseason, he understood the situation he was joining.
A franchise 11 years removed from a playoff appearance, coming off a franchise-worst 99-loss season. Jansen — whose teams have finished above .500 in 14 of his 16 career big-league seasons — signed on to a club that was more than just one closer away from turning things around.
But that’s also part of why he signed, in addition to the $10 million contract he was offered for the 2025 season. It was to help be the reason all those failures stopped.
“Not finishing here would be disappointing,” Jansen told The Athletic about the much-speculated possibility of his being traded before the July 31 MLB trade deadline. “I came here to try to help this team turn it around, to get at least a wild-card spot.
“There’s more in the tank of this team, of what we’re capable of doing. I feel like we should be at least six games over .500. The next couple weeks are going to be important. I want to do something special and turn this team around.”
The Angels have over-performed any reasonable expectations so far this season. Projected to win around 70 games, the team has hovered around .500 much of the season. Good enough, in a very weak American League, to stay in the postseason mix. They are three games out of the final wild-card spot.
It’s presented the front office with a good problem, and ultimately, a tough decision to make. Has this team earned the right to go all in? The trade deadline is a time when every team takes stock of its direction. They’re improved, but are they good enough to justify prioritizing a playoff push over everything else?
“I do,” Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said when asked whether he believed his team could make the postseason. “Leaving spring training, I said, ‘This is the best group that we’ve had in terms of the camaraderie, and the way guys interact. And the work that’s being done. Preseason projections don’t take into account what happens on the field going forward.
“I think they know. They’re down here, they see it and they feel it,” Angels star Mike Trout said of the team’s front office. “They know the guys we got in this clubhouse. It’s fun to come to the ballpark.”
To date, the projections still don’t like the Angels, with FanGraphs giving them a 5.2 percent chance to make the postseason three games out. There are several reasons for that. Predictive stats tend not to like teams with minus-58 run differentials. There are also nine teams vying for the final two wild-card spots.
That makes the next three weeks season-defining for the Angels. For better or worse, this particular front office will look for any justification to go for it. That’s its track record. And it’s a reflection of its boss, Arte Moreno, who has always prioritized the present over the future.
Still, the Angels will need to play well. And do it against the Philadelphia Phillies (54-41), the New York Mets (55-41), the Seattle Mariners (50-45) and the Texas Rangers (47-48), to force the hands of general manager Perry Minasian.
“We’ve said it since spring training; we’re going to shock a lot of people,” shortstop Zach Neto said. “And that’s not for what people think of us. It’s just a matter of what we believe in. That we’re going to make it to the playoffs.”
It’s the next three weeks that will determine this team’s direction, whether they add, stand pat or sell off. If they choose the latter option, there are some potentially valuable trade chips. Jansen is the most notable potential option, but the Angels also have a surging Luis Rengifo on an expiring contract, as well as Yoan Moncada and Tyler Anderson.
The Angels have some potentially valuable trade chips, including a surging Luis Rengifo on an expiring contract. (Gary A. Vasquez / Imagn Images)
If they want to be even more aggressive, they could leverage the elevating value of Reid Detmers and Jo Adell into sizable returns, or trade Taylor Ward, who is having a career season and still has a year-plus of team control.
If the Angels remain in the mix, it’s hard to envision them parting with any of those players, even with the headwinds of actually getting in the postseason. In fact, they could look to add by trading away talent from their already very weak farm system.
“We just don’t want to subtract,” veteran starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks said. “We love everybody in here, and we want to make a run in here with what we got. If they want to add to it, great.”
Ultimately, the Angels might end up picking a direction based on vibes and emotion, the context of escaping years of failure.
It might not be a prudent way to operate. But there’s also a reason the Angels have been as bad as they’ve been for more than a decade. It’s been on the back of many less-than-prudent decisions. Still, there’s also something legitimate about going for it when chances to do so have been so scant.
“I came here with one goal,” Jansen said. “To try to help turn this organization into a successful organization. I believe Mike Trout should play (in the postseason). He deserves that. If some days you feel like you don’t want to do it for yourself, do it for Mike, do it for the others. Do it for the fans.”
“My mission,” he added, “is the Angels.”
This team might or might not have earned the right to be a buyer when July 31 rolls around. It’s been a lot better, though arguably still not good enough. But if it’s in the mix, even just a little bit, this team, and its decision-makers, might be inclined to go for it.
(Top photo: Edward M. Pio Roda / Getty Images)