Remember how the Los Angeles Angels went all in at the MLB Trade Deadline? How they traded away several top prospects for veterans who could help them in a playoff push?
That seems like a long, long time ago, but it’s only been about a week. Since that time, however, the Angels have yet to win a game, losing seven in a row.
That woeful streak continued Monday night with an 8-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants that left the Angels with a 56-58 record. The Angels are now eight games out of an AL Wild-Card spot and will have to leapfrog three other teams to make the postseason.
This is not what the team envisioned when it brought in veteran bats Eduardo Escobar, Mike Moustakas, C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk, and pitchers Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López and Dominic Leone.
Many Angels fans and baseball observers cheered the aggressive trade strategy, hailing the all-out bid to get superstar Shohei Ohtani — and Mike Trout, for that matter — to the postseason.
But critics pointed out the team was a long shot to make the playoffs at the deadline. The terrible losing streak has blown up even those slim hopes.
The Angels had a 19.5% chance to make the playoffs at the trade deadline, per FanGraphs.
The Angels currently have a 1.4% chance to make it.
Only one week has passed.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) August 8, 2023
Baseball fans reacted to the latest Angels bad news, with many taking a “Told you so” attitude.
Remarkable to fade so quickly and drop
7 of our top 30 prospects in the process. 💀— Millennial Falcon (@MillennialF4lco) August 8, 2023
I keep wondering who looked at this team and thought they were a contender at the deadline.
— Lord, B S (@DinoLord05) August 8, 2023
I can’t think of a biggest collapse for a team that went all in. I thought all the moves plus Drury coming back would fix the overall poor approach at the plate but it didn’t. No sense of fundamentals or small ball. Too many strikeouts, hardly any walks outside Ohtani. No clutch
— MLBeFUN (@MLBeFUN1) August 8, 2023
Bad coaching is the reason for bad fundamentals and bad approach at the plate
— Abe Avila (@cali101872) August 8, 2023
Yeah i don’t think ohtani was anticipating 7 straight Ls
Just hope he doesn’t end up with the Yankees next year.
— ⚾️ Chris Leeper 🔱 (@RoseBug_22) August 8, 2023
The decision not to trade Ohtani is going to set the Angels back a half-decade.
— GlennRogers1924 (@GRogers1924) August 8, 2023
Anyone with a brain know that they were never going to make the playoffs. Now, they’re going to lose Ohtani for nothing.
— Ryan (@16RyanRyder) August 8, 2023
