For the 10th time in Mike Trout's 11 full seasons, the Los Angeles Angels have failed to qualify for the postseason. Monday's loss to the Seattle Mariners (SEA 9, LAA 1) eliminated the Halos from this year's postseason race. It is their eighth consecutive postseason-less season despite MLB expanding the postseason field to 12 teams this year.
"We've been playing better baseball lately, and we'll go out and have a good road trip now, but no, we've nothing to be ashamed of," interim manager Phil Nevin told reporters, including the Los Angeles Times, following Monday's loss.
With the Mariners all but certain to go to the postseason and the Philadelphia Phillies in position to do so as well, the Angels could soon have baseball's longest postseason drought. They have not been to the postseason since 2014 nor won a postseason game since 2009. Their lone postseason trip of the Trout era was an ALDS sweep at the hands of the Kansas City Royals in 2014.
That the Angels have not been to the postseason in eight years is nothing short of a catastrophic failure and a waste of Trout's prime and overall greatness. Add in Shohei Ohtani's two-way brilliance the last two years and you have an organization that needs an overhaul and a deep introspection. Perhaps that's why owner Arte Moreno is looking to sell.
With last night's loss to the Mariners, the Angels have been eliminated from playoff contention.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 20, 2022
Of the 18 active players who have won an MVP, only Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout have never won a playoff game. pic.twitter.com/y0XNY8Rmf9
The Angels peaked at 10 games over .500 on May 24 this year. They were 27-17 at the time and are 37-65 since, one of the worst records in baseball. The Angels lost a franchise record 14 straight games from May 25 to June 8 (and fired manager Joe Maddon during that time), and at one point they lost 19 times in 22 games. At 64-83, their current .438 winning percentage would be their worst in a non-pandemic season since 1999.
Trout, now 31, is signed through 2030 and has full no-trade protection. The 28-year-old Ohtani will be a free agent after next season and has said his top priority is winning, something the Angels do not do. His future will be a hot topic this offseason.
