Angels Manager Seems to Concede Halos Won't Make Playoffs This Year

Aug 12, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Kenley Jansen (74) receives the Reliever of the Month award from interim manager Ray Montgomery during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery appeared to admit the Halos wouldn't end this season in playoff contention after Friday's loss to the Chicago Cubs.

The Angels are currently 10.5 games out of first in the American League West and 7.5 games out of a Wild Card Spot with 33 games left to play in the season.

“(The) reality of it is, we still have 30 games, and most are against contending teams,” Montgomery said. “I think the environments we’re going to be in are going to be great. And we talk about playing in those moments before you get there the next year, you’ve already experienced it when it comes time for us.”

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The Angels have had an outside chance of seeing October all season, remaining within striking distance in the Wild Card for most of the last couple of months, however three consecutive series losses after they swept the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second time this season have all but put their postseason hopes to bed.

The last time the Angels made the postseason was in 2014, though they didn't win a game during their last appearance in the playoffs. The last time they won a playoff series was in 2009. The Angels have the longest postseason drought in MLB currently, a soon-to-be 11-season break from October.

Where did it go wrong for the Angels?

The Angels had an opportunity to unload at the trade deadline, as many of their expiring contracts and valuable trade pieces could have reinforced a depleted farm system and set them up for the future.

Instead, a July 30 deal for Luis Garcia and Andrew Chafin declared their intent for the trade deadline as buyers, looking to close the 4.5 game gap in the Wild Card at that time.

Rather than going all in and bolstering their entire lineup though, that was one of just two trades the Halos made at the trade deadline. The other brought in utility man Oswald Peraza, who has a .440 OPS on the season.

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Even then these trades didn't look like enough to keep the Angels afloat, but the problems they've had both in the rotation and bullpen since then have only confirmed that notion.

If the Angels are to compete for the postseason, the first thing they need is to overhaul their roster and invest in their youth. They have bushels of young talent at the MLB level already, and if a solid farm were to back them up, they could not only erase their postseason drought, but become a perennial contender.

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.