For 65 years, the Los Angeles Angels carried a quiet distinction — they had never lost 100 games in a single season. On a Sunday afternoon in Seattle, that distinction ended. The 2026 Angels, reshaped by front-office upheaval and a deliberate teardown, crossed that threshold as the last franchise in baseball to do so, closing one painful chapter even as the arrival of new ownership hints that another may soon begin.
Angels reach historic 100-loss mark as franchise era ends
The last team standing finally fell.
Mark
So the Angels became the last team to hit 100 losses. What does that actually mean—why does being last matter?
Mimi
It means for 65 years, through all the ups and downs, they managed to avoid that threshold. Every other franchise had a season that bad at some point. The Angels hadn't. Until now. It's a marker of organizational failure that's hard to ignore.
Luke
But we should be careful here—they were already bad. The 63-99 season two years ago was nearly as bad. This isn't a sudden collapse; it's a continuation. The real question is whether the teardown was necessary or whether it accelerated the decline.
Mark
The front office did tear apart the roster pretty aggressively. What was the thinking there?
Mimi
After they fired Perry Minasian in June, the interim GM John Mozeliak decided to sell off established players—Ward, Adell, O'Hoppe, Silseth—for prospects. It's a classic rebuild move. You accept short-term pain for long-term gain.
Luke
Right, but we don't know if those prospects will actually pan out. We know the Angels got younger and worse immediately. Whether that was the right call depends entirely on what those prospects become, and that's years away.
Mark
And then there's the ownership change. Stan Kroenke buying the team—how significant is that?
Mimi
It's potentially very significant. Kroenke owns successful franchises in multiple sports. He has resources and a track record of building competitive organizations. For a fanbase that's been through this, it signals that someone with real operational experience is taking over.
Luke
But ownership doesn't guarantee anything. The Dodgers have had excellent ownership and still had down years. And we don't actually know what Kroenke's plan is for the Angels yet. The $4 billion price tag is a record, but that's about the market, not about his intentions.
Mark
So what should Angels fans actually expect from here?
Mimi
A patient rebuild. The young core they've assembled needs time to develop. If Kroenke's group is serious about building a championship organization, they'll need to be willing to stay the course through more losing seasons before it gets better.
Luke
And that's the real test. How long will the fanbase tolerate this? And will Kroenke actually commit the resources necessary to compete in a division with the Dodgers and Padres? Those are the unknowns that matter.
The Pulse
- A 7-3 loss to the Mariners pushed the Angels to 62-100, making them the final MLB franchise to suffer a 100-loss season — a mark 65 years in the avoiding.
- The collapse accelerated in June when GM Perry Minasian was fired and interim replacement John Mozeliak stripped the roster bare, trading away Ward, Adell, O'Hoppe, and Silseth for future assets.
- A late-season surge — five wins in their final nine games — briefly raised hopes that the milestone might be dodged, but Yusei Kikuchi's rough outing and a decisive Arozarena double sealed the outcome.
- Arte Moreno's ownership era is ending with this historic low, as a $4 billion sale to Stan Kroenke's group signals a potential organizational reset for a franchise that has drifted without sustained vision.
For 65 years, the Los Angeles Angels carried a quiet distinction — they had never lost 100 games in a single season. On a Sunday afternoon in Seattle, that distinction ended. The 2026 Angels, reshaped by front-office upheaval and a deliberate teardown, crossed that threshold as the last franchise in baseball to do so, closing one painful chapter even as the arrival of new ownership hints that another may soon begin.
The Los Angeles Angels ended their 2026 season the way it had largely unfolded — with a loss. Falling 7-3 to the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park, they crossed a threshold the franchise had avoided for 65 years, becoming the last of baseball's 30 teams to record a 100-loss season. Mike Trout watched from the dugout on a scheduled day off as his younger teammates absorbed the final blow.
The 62-100 record surpasses even the 63-99 mark posted just two years prior, and it represents the grim endpoint of a season defined by organizational upheaval. In late June, the Angels fired general manager Perry Minasian. Interim GM John Mozeliak then orchestrated a systematic teardown — Taylor Ward, Jo Adell, Logan O'Hoppe, and Chase Silseth were all traded away for prospects, leaving first-year manager Kurt Suzuki to guide a stripped-down, youthful core through the remainder of the year.
There had been a flicker of hope. Shortstop Zach Neto had spoken about organizational pride and the possibility of avoiding the 100-loss mark, and a 5-4 run over the final nine games made it seem plausible. But Sunday proved unforgiving. Kikuchi, a former Mariner now pitching for Anaheim, was tagged early by his old club. A throwing error and a two-run double by Randy Arozarena pushed the lead beyond reach, and when Christian Moore's fly ball settled into the final out, the season was over.
What follows this historic low point, however, may be something different. Arte Moreno's era as owner is ending — he has agreed to sell controlling interest to Stan Kroenke's investment group for a record $4 billion. Kroenke, who owns the Rams, the Nuggets, and Arsenal among other properties, brings a track record of organizational competence that the Angels have long lacked. Whether his group can provide the sustained vision Anaheim has needed remains to be seen, but the transition signals the franchise is ready to move forward.
The Los Angeles Angels finished their 2026 season the way it had unfolded all year—with a loss. On Sunday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, they fell 7-3 to the Mariners, and in doing so crossed a line the franchise had managed to avoid for 65 years. With that defeat, the Angels became the last of baseball's 30 teams to record a 100-loss season. Mike Trout, the face of the franchise, watched from the dugout on a scheduled day off as his younger teammates absorbed the final blow.
The 62-100 record will occupy a permanent place in Angels history, surpassing even the 63-99 mark that Ron Washington's team had posted just two years earlier. For Kurt Suzuki, in his first year as manager, the loss represented the grim endpoint of a season that had tested every reserve of organizational patience. The path to this moment had been set in motion months earlier when the front office made the difficult choice to dismantle what remained of the roster in pursuit of a long-term rebuild.
In late June, the Angels fired general manager Perry Minasian. John Mozeliak, brought in as interim GM, then orchestrated a systematic teardown. Taylor Ward, Jo Adell, Logan O'Hoppe, and Chase Silseth—players who had represented the franchise's recent hopes—were shipped out in exchange for prospects and young talent. Suzuki was left to manage a stripped-down, youthful core through the remainder of the season. The moves were necessary but brutal, and they accelerated the team's descent.
There had been a moment, late in the season, when the Angels caught a glimpse of something different. Shortstop Zach Neto had spoken earlier in the week about organizational pride, about the possibility of avoiding the 100-loss mark. Over their final nine games, the Angels had managed a 5-4 record, a small run that suggested perhaps they might slip past the threshold. But Sunday proved unforgiving. Yusei Kikuchi, a former Mariner now pitching for Anaheim, was tagged early by his old club, giving up three runs over five innings. Bryce Teodosio's sacrifice fly in the sixth inning trimmed the deficit to 3-1, but Seattle responded decisively. A throwing error and a two-run double by Randy Arozarena pushed the lead beyond reach. Jose Siri hit a solo home run late to provide a brief spark, but when Christian Moore's fly ball settled into Dominic Canzone's glove for the final out, the season was over.
What arrives with this historic low point, however, is the possibility of genuine change. Arte Moreno's era as the Angels' owner is ending. He has agreed to sell controlling interest in the franchise to Stan Kroenke's investment group for $4 billion, a record price for a Major League Baseball team. For a fanbase that has endured its lowest moment in franchise history, Kroenke's track record—he owns the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Rams, and Arsenal Football Club, among other properties—suggests a different kind of organizational competence. The Angels have lacked a clear, sustained vision for years. That absence is what brought them to this point. Whether Kroenke's group can provide what Anaheim has needed for so long remains to be seen, but the ownership transition signals that the franchise is prepared to move forward from this historic nadir.
Notable Quotes
Shortstop Zach Neto had insisted earlier in the week that organizational pride would propel them past the brink— Zach Neto
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