Well, this season hasn't been going according to plan for the Los Angeles Angels. After a middling season, the team decided to go all-in at the trade deadline, acquiring Lucas Giolito, CJ Cron, and Randal Grichuk to bolster their season. The plan was simple: go all-in at the deadline and make a serious playoff push.

The hope was that LA would go on a winning streak and perhaps win a couple of more games in order to stay in the playoff push. Instead, the Angels somehow performed worse after the trade deadline. They haven't won a game since July 31, the last day before the deadline. Despite the struggles, manager Phil Nevin is still optimistic about their chances to win, per Sam Blum.

“I know everybody is now done with us and counted us out. That's fine. We've got 26 guys in there plus staff that know we have it. They know we're still there. They know what's in front of us.”

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The Angels now drop to 56-57 after sitting above .500 for a good chunk of the year. PlayoffStatus.com currently has them at a 98% chance of missing the playoffs. With how competitive the American League has been, it's hard to see LA making it to the postseason. It would take an absolute miracle (and an insane drop-off from their competitors) for them to sneak in.

What's at stake here for the Angels? Well, Shohei Ohtani is a free agent next season, and there are countless rumors about him potentially leaving the team. This was an “audition” of sorts for LA, to prove to the former MVP can be competitive with this team. Should they lose this season… there will be some very painful conversations that will need to be had.