The 2023 Los Angeles Angels can learn plenty of things from the 2021 Atlanta Braves. The start of July was brutal for the Angels. In hours, the team lost Brandon Drury and Mike Trout to the 10-day IL. Then to add insult to injury, Anthony Rendon left Tuesday’s game with a shin contusion. The worst part of it all was Shohei Ohtani being removed from the game due to a blister. Many say the season is over. That it’s time to rebuild the farm in 2023 and move forward to 2024. However, there’s plenty of baseball left to be played. To stay on the optimistic side of things, we look back to the Atlanta Braves season in 2021. Atlanta was in a very similar situation two seasons ago.
The 2023 Angels And the 2021 Braves
The Braves were 44-45
July 11, 2021, was a dark day for Braves fans. Ronald Acuna Jr was lost for the rest of the season after he landed awkwardly while attempting to make a catch on the warning track. Marlins Park. He was hitting .283 with 24 homers, 52 RBI, 17 stolen bases, and a .990 OPS in 82 games. The Braves were 44-45 with five games back in the NL East division. After Acuna’s injury, this team had a 0.4% chance of winning the championship and played mediocre baseball. Most importantly, hadn’t spent a single day above .500.
At this point, everyone thought it was a given that they wouldn’t turn it around. They knew Freddie Freeman was a free agent at the end of the season, and there was no indication of him wanting to stay in Atlanta. When the trade deadline came, the Braves did what they could to bolster their team. The additions included Adam Duvall, Joc Pederson, Eddie Rosario, and Jorge Soler. None of these moves move the needle, but Rosario was the NLCS and World Series MVP respectively. Duvall hit 16 homers in his 55 games as a Brave while Pederson was a hero in the early part of their postseason run.
As of July writing this, the Angels are 45-43, only seven games behind the Texas Rangers for the American League West. They also sit four games back of a Wild Card spot. But, the Angels have played mediocre baseball over the last week, going 3-7 in their previous 10 games. The Angles aren’t out of the playoff chase yet but general manager Perry Minasian has to decide what he should do at the deadline. Quality can turn the 2023 Angels into the 2021 Braves.
Perry Minasian Has To Make Up His Mind
Atlanta shocked the world at the 2021 trade deadline when they chose to buy instead of sell. The Angels face a similar situation, a crossroads if you will. While this team is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, Trout did have a successful surgery. He should be out for four-eight weeks. For Rendon, there’s a chance he will probably miss even more time after taking a foul ball off of his shin. The negatives are piling up with a line from Tout-Ohtani-Rendon to Ohtani-Renfroe-Moustakas, on top of a rotation that has been inconsistent for most of the season.
Apart from just staying healthy, they can add some buy-low options. Perry got that going on the offensive side of the ball. If this team wants to play competitive ball in August, they must improve the quality of the starting pitching. They don’t have to get an ace; the Angels, like the Braves in 2021, must put quality over flash to stay afloat. Trout being hurt is a massive loss, but the team is more than just Trout and Ohtani. The last 6 years prove that, as the years of mediocre play prove that. Perry knows that a lot is riding on this season’s success. A giant free agent is ready to set a record for his coming contract. Even with that fact, intelligent, aggressive moves must win out.
Unfortunately, a lot can happen between now and the trade deadline. Perry might be forced into a spot that makes him sell everything off. However, looking at the league’s landscape, the Angels will either continue the terrible strategy of not doing anything or add to the team. Perry did sell off some players at the deadline last year. The trades with Philadelphia worked out in favor of the Angels. Both additions were smart for an expiring contract and a player that might not have had a spot long-term.
Staying Afloat and Making the Postseason
The key to all of this is surviving the turbulence and staying aloft after the loss of Trout. Similar to the loss of Acuna for the Braves in 2021, teams can’t replace their star, but they can replace that player’s production. In an odd sense, the Angels can handle the loss of Trout. Because the All-Star break is next week, and there will be returning players from the IL shortly after. Stay afloat is the key until after the break.
Just getting into the playoff for the Angels is the ultimate goal. If they can get into the playoffs, then anything can happen. Getting hot a the right time can propel a team into the World Series. In the last two seasons, the baseball world has seen this. Philadelphia and Atlanta weren’t in the playoff picture before the All-Star break. The Angels could be the next team that this happens to. Why not the Angels? They have the bullpen, talent in the rotation, and veteran players who have made deep runs into October.
The Angels and Braves do have some similarities. From the general manager in Atlanta right before they won a World Series. They were losing a star at the worst possible time in the season. The only difference is that the Angels have kept losing players daily. This is a difficult time for the Angels. The season will be won or lost in the 6-8 without Trout. The trade deadline is less than a month away. With the same amount of skill additions, the Angels can shock the world in 2023.
Photo Credit: © Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports
Players Mentioned:
Brandon Drury, Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuna Jr., Adam Duvall, Joc Pederson, Eddie Rosario, Jorge Soler
