What happens when the team owner does not prioritize winning? The players pay the price. The MLB community is not forgetting Arte Moreno’s remarks anytime soon. As a result, early predictions are not putting much hope on the Angels this season.

The Angels have been busy this offseason, not only conducting surveys but also signing the best players on a lessened payroll. With Mike Trout finally healthy and back as a centerfielder, analyst Robbie Hyde ranked the Angels’ 2026 potential. Their new additions over the 2025 offseason include Grayson Rodriguez, Alek Manoah, Vaughn Grissom, Josh Lowe, Kirby Yates, and Jordan Romano, among others.

“So, there’s definitely some good upside with these guys, but they need to stay healthy and keep the performance on track,” said Hyde.

The Angels’ 2026 roster shows they are mostly relying on players who are trying to come back and make it last. But as Hyde pointed out, staying healthy is a must. The franchise got Rodriguez on trade with the Baltimore Orioles. Rodriguez logged a 3.86 ERA with the Orioles in 2024, starting 20 games with a 13-4 record. He was a former top prospect, and the Angels would like to see him pitch at his full potential.

Former All-Star Manoah, who once ranked among the best pitchers, agreed to a one-year, $1.95 million deal with the Angels. Manoah is returning from a Tommy John surgery, and his Angels signing appears to be a rehabilitation project. Apart from the players who can ultimately make a difference, Hyde talks about what bringing Mike Maddux as the pitching coach could mean.

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According to Hyde, “Another low-key move this past offseason was the Angels bringing in pitching coach Mike Maddux, regarded as one of the best in the game. So, let’s see if he can really put this rotation together.”

The Angels hired Maddux as their pitching coach for 2026 after his successful stint with the Texas Rangers. The veteran coach led the Rangers’ pitchers to a league-best 3.47 ERA in 2025. In the Angels, Maddux has to lead a rotation that will likely include Yusei Kikuchi, Jose Soriano, Reid Detmers, Rodriguez, and Manoah.

With Drew Pomeranz, Robert Stephenson, Kirby Yates, and Jordan Romano in the bullpen, Hyde thinks the Angels’ lineup has enough potential even when coming back from injuries. What they actually need is a bounce-back to form.

The Angels are heavily depending on players who are either recovering from injuries or players who are trying to improve their game. They don’t have a whole lot of proven talent to provide stability in case their gamble goes wrong.

“I’ll say this: if everyone can stay healthy and they can really come together, I think there is potential for this team to possibly be in the hunt and maybe even be a surprise wild card contender. But anytime I pick the Angels, I always get burned,” opined Hyde.

From the analyst’s perspective, the current Angels team is not yet up to the mark of reaching the 2026 postseason.

Without even playing a single game this season, analysts are writing off the Angels from the list of teams to make it to the postseason. And with each season spent with the Angels, Mike Trout’s hopes of securing a World Series title become thinner. But in the case of a team whose owner does not prioritize winning, such consequences are hardly a surprise.

Arte Moreno’s remark that weighs the Angels down

The 79-year-old Angels franchise owner Arte Moreno recently told the Orange County Register that winning is not among the top five priorities of a fan. The source of this observation that Moreno made is supposedly from a survey they conducted, whose parameters remain unknown.

Moreno’s remark comes at a time when the franchise is struggling to find a broadcaster to televise its games. As Main Street Sports is going through bankruptcy, none of the Angels’ spring games will be broadcast. The Angels will be facing a significant revenue cut.

“The number one thing fans want is affordability. They want affordability. They want safety, and they want a good experience when they come to the ballpark. Believe it or not, winning is not in their top five,” said Moreno.

But are only the fans looking for affordability? The reduction in the Angels’ payroll from around $206 million to $155 million indicates that affordability is now the franchise’s priority as well.

The attitude Moreno displays as a team owner impacts the players heavily, too. So, when he says winning is not among the top five priorities, it undermines the club’s winning mentality as a whole.