When the Angels' 2025 season ended, there was some room for celebration as the team has taken a clear step forward and young stars like Zach Neto and Jo Adell transcended into stars throughout the season. The team was set up well for another increase in wins for 2026, with some decent money to spend in the offseason and an improving farm system.
When the team traded Taylor Ward for Grayson Rodriguez, is was viewed as both a win-now move and a trade for the future given Rodriguez's four years of team control. The Angels had too many outfielders and not enough starters, so this trade was the best of both worlds.