"Not given up on Mike Trout, challenged Anthony Rendon" - MLB sportscaster lauds Arte Moreno’s commitment to the Angels’ future after lackluster 2024

On Friday, sports talk show host Lee 'Hacksaw' Hamilton talked about the Los Angeles Angels' plans in the offseason. Following a lackluster 2024 season, something had to give to make sure that the team improved for the 2025 campaign, and it appears that is exactly what owner Arte Moreno has set out to accomplish.

With arguably their most influential player, Mike Trout, missing more than half the season due to a recurring knee injury, along with seasoned veteran Anthony Rendon struggling for production and fitness, the Angels struggled. Though talented youngsters such as Zach Neto, Logan O'Hoppe and Nolan Schanuel did have solid seasons, their performances were not enough to lift the team from the foot of the AL West standings, as they finished with a 63-99 record.

On Friday's edition of his podcast, Hamilton lauded Moreno's commitment to the Angels' future, as he assessed the various moves that the 78-year-old has reportedly planned to improve the team in the offseason.

"It's really intriguing from a halo baseball standpoint, that they're renting veteran, proven guys, major leagues here, Japanese leagues there," Hamilton said (1:08). "They still have money to spend, we'll wait and see if they're actually going to dive into free agency and go get a 'name star'. Right now, they're filling holes with guys who have had good careers with a fair amount of experience, on maybe one-year rentals."

"Even though we've gone through this really bumpy road with Arte Moreno and his ownership at Angel Stadium, this is a different approach. He kept the general manager, to the surprise of a lot of people, he's not given up on Mike Trout, he's challenged Anthony Rendon to be a different baseball going forward.

"Arte Moreno, after he solved the TV contract issue with Diamond Sports, said 'we will increase the payroll.' Now, I don't know what the volume dollar is, but the payroll will go up," Hamilton added [1:36]

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Arte Moreno's approach comes under fire from Angels insider

Like Hamilton said in his podcast, the road for the Angels under Arte Moreno's ownership has had its fair share of bumps along the way. In October, Angels insider Jon Frisch voiced opinions about Moreno's methods of conducting business.

"For Arte, every decision that he makes is the right decision. I just wonder if he's at a point where he wonders that he can do no wrong. The few times he's spoken, it was 'Mike Trout wasn't healthy, and Anthony Rendon wasn't healthy," Frisch said [4:00]

"It's a blame game. If that's what you're counting on, for those two to be healthy, you can't count on that anymore, you have to supplement this roster with something. It's no ownership from the owner."

With their superstar, Mike Trout to make his return and Anthony Rendon to potentially improve, along with important contributions from their talented young core and newly acquired veterans alike, it looks like the 2025 season may prove to be the year of improvement Angels fans were craving after a dismal season.