2021 has been yet another disappointing year for the team..... So far. The Angels continue to struggle with pitching and we've had to deal with some injuries to the GOAT himself, Mike Trout.
One positive note that we have seen is the MVP season that 2-way phenom Shohei Ohtani has been putting together. As I write this (before his start tonight against the Yankees 6/30/2021), Ohtani has posted a 2.58ERA and has blasted an MLB best 28 home runs. There is no one else in the American League that can compete with those stats to take away a potential MVP award from Ohtani.
Aside from Ohtani let's take a look at the potential 2022 rotation based on how the pitching staff has been this year. Here's how I see it: Ohtani
Sandoval
Rodriguez
Detmers
Canning
Suarez
All 6 of these guys will barely make a dent in the payroll for next year so it's safe to say the Angels have payroll flexibility..... But only time will tell. Hopefully they take a gamble and buy low on Noah Syndergaard who still hasn't fully recovered from tommy john surgery.