Game 6

No, because there is always an adjustment period for a new coaching staff.
Bud Black didn’t immediately turn the early 2000s pitching staff around, but eventually they became one of the best by 2002.

I would say that Walsh and Ward deserve most of the credit.

Griffin Canning only allowed one baserunner in innings that were not the 1st and 3rd. He had a 1-2-3 inning in the 2nd, 4th, and 6th inning. In the 5th inning he walked one batter but struck out the side. Definitely was not hanging on for dear life inning after inning and was actually shutting their lineup down more often than not.

I think Dombrowski would be make his mark on the roster like any GM would and should.
Stoneman was hired in 99, but his mark on the team was ultimately that core of Erstad, Anderson, Salmon, Glaus and Eckstein, and then signing Vladdy. The way he operated was to build a strong farm, don't do anything to take away from that, and grab large sums of inning eating pitchers. He left his mark.
Man I miss the early 2000's. 
Reagins is brought in and from the get go, he wants up the middle talent. He tried it with GMJ and it didn't work, so he brought in Hunter which worked quite well. And like him or not, Reagins was at least partially responsible for Kendrick, Aybar, Morales and Napoli as the player development coordinator before taking the GM job. And he also oversaw the 2009 draft, which is likely the single greatest collection of picks in team history. Reagins approach was mostly to wait out the market to find value.
Dipoto comes in, and immediately he starts spending Arte's money, starts trading anything not nailed to the floor, completely ignores international markets, and drafts a bunch of low ceiling collegiate pitchers. The end result is a bloated payroll and decimated farm system. But that's what his approach was, and every GM needs that autonomy.
Eppler is hired and he's big into run prevention/defense, so he gets Simmons. He also loves velocity and spin rate and is able to bring in a constant stream of relievers that breakout. He loves drafting exceptional athletes and gambling big, and for the most part it pays off. Tons of potential on the farm. But he fails at drafting pitchers to the worst degree and his free agent expenditures have been embarrassingly bad. Still, he'll be remembered for Ohtani, Simmons, the Trout extension, Adell, and Canning. 
If Dombrowski is hired, my guess is he will trade upside that isn't immediately impacting the major league team and get the Angels to the playoffs. So he'd trade Brandon Marsh and Jordyn Adams for a solid Dan Haren-type that pitches at it near the front of the rotation. And he'd probably sign someone like Bauer. And despite not being responsible for getting him, if Ohtani got healthy, he'd have an ace there too. But long run, he'd probably hurt the organization like Dipoto did. The only difference between is he'd have a lot more success than Jerry did before getting canned.

Maddon has gone on record denouncing the "launch angle revolution", which as you guys already know is the idea of putting the ball in the air. It definitely worked for some guys, Josh Donaldson, Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger come immediately to mind. 
But I think across the board application hurts prospects as often as it helps them. Ward shortened his swing and has focused on driving the ball wherever it is pitched. It's back to basics and the basics work for him. 
For Walsh, it seems to have been the opposite. His leg kick and drifting hands and supercharged his swing. But the encouraging part, at least to me is that he's not uppercutting the ball to lift it. He's simply driving through the pitch and the ball is flying.
I don't know if either is sustainable. If I had to guess I'd say Ward's is, and Walsh's isn't because of the timing it requires. But then again, Harper has used a similar seeing throughout his career and it has worked. But the k/bb ratio is something to keep an eye on for sure. 
I'd give credit to Maddon. Whether he specifically helped them or his philosophy in general. 

"He then McGregor walked straight off the mound."

A respected board member mentioned it 

One of several similar articles
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29947419/angels-andrelton-simmons-opts-los-angeles-season-draws-close
Neither side specified a reason in written statements Tuesday, but sources told ESPN that a major motivation stemmed from concerns about COVID-19 and how it might impact more vulnerable members of his family, particularly with American League teams that are still not mathematically eliminated required to quarantine for potential postseason games beginning Tuesday.
His wife having been a kidney recipient is a pretty well known thing apparently.  
 
 

“Excuse”. Fuck that.  It’s a reason.  Stop projecting, it’s pathetic. 

I am confused when did she get a kidney transplant? 

If this is true he should have opted out of the whole season for her health if that is the reason he is using.  There was probably much more risk early season before anyone knew how it was going to work.  He didn’t. I’m hoping the angels miraculously make the playoffs and a World Series run while he is sitting at home.  Or, have him try to opt back in if they make the playoffs.  2-0 since he quit.......
 
( yes I know the winning really has nothing to do with quitting)

Like when Arte Signed Colon Vlad Hunter etc. That culture? Arte can be blamed sure, but we wouldn't have Trout locked up or Rendon locked up if it wasn't for Arte. He has done more good than harm to this organization. We wouldn't be near the top in the league of spending if it wasn't for Arte. We sure weren't with the previous owners. 

At the end if the day the Angels success or lack of falls at Artre's feet.
The team started to go sour when they began to lose their identity. That identity was cultivated by Mike Scioscia and Bill Stoneman. They instilled a culture and as the team began to move away from that culture and identity the failures began.
There has been a vacuum of leadership for some time now. Eppler has done the best he can within that vacuum, but Arte has to be the one who establishes the organizational culture or give the right person the autonomy to do so.  He's made a mess of it, IMO.
I don't know how or if this can be corrected. He's sort of like Jerry Jones. The Cowboys were great when they let Jimmy Johnson instill the culture and identity and they started to fail when Jones took over that process.
I don't question Arte's desire to win. I question the culture he has created.

Which Angels have risen and fallen in terms of "stock value" and the degree to which they've changed their outlook for next year, in this short season thus far?
Risers
1. Dylan Bundy - He gives the Angels a good #3, borderline #2. Too bad he only has one year of control left, but still: At the least he bridges the gap to Reid Detmers, Chris Rodriguez, Jose Soriano, Garret Stallings, and other young pitchers in the low minors. Dylan could be a nice trade deadline chip if the Angels suck again in 2021.
2. Jared Walsh - Finally: A productive bat from the farm system. We can hope that he solves first base for the next half decade.
3. Max Stassi - After a poor showing in 2019, he seems to be putting the promise he showed in 2018 together.
4. Jaime Barria - He's making the most of his opportunity. Why didn't he get much of a chance last year, again?
5. Mike Mayers - We can be hesitantly optimistic that those gaudy peripherals are for real.
6. Andrew Heaney - Quietly pitching the best he has as an Angel. Ditto what was said re: Bundy. He is, at the least, a bridge pitcher to the younger cohorts, and possibly a trade chip next July.
7. Taylor Ward - Overshadowed by Walsh, Ward could be the starting right fielder next season, at least until Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh are ready for big boy baseball.
 
Fallers
1. Shohei Ohtani - The question mark just gets bigger; not only is his arm unknown, but his bat disappeared. The talent is there, though, so we can hope for--at least--a return to hitting form, but there's no way around the fact what a loss 2020 has been for Shohei.
2. Jo Adell - Jo should spend most/all of 2021 in AAA. We can still like his long-term potential, but the shine has definitely dimmed.
3. Ty Buttrey/Keynan Middleton/Hansel Robles (take your pick) - These were the guys that were supposed to anchor the rotation, but all have been poor to terrible.
4. Luis Rengifo - I'm still hopeful for the future, but not the step forward we hoped for.
5. Jose Suarez - Ouch.
6. Griffin Canning - He's been OK, I guess, but was hoping for more; no progress from last year, but we can still expect improvement given the fact that he's still only pitched 140.2 major league innings.
7. Patrick Sandoval - I have faith he'll come around, but a lost year for Sandoval when some of us (me) pencilled him in as a darkhorse to surprise and be a rotation workhorse.
I don't count Matt Andriese, Julio Teheran, Jason Castro, etc, because they were just one-year rentals anyway (other than Andriese). The rest have overall held steady, for the most part. Justin Upton looked like a faller but has stabilized. There are some questions with Mike Trout's defense, but he tends to fluctuate and hopefully will work on it - although a shift to LF might be in order in the not too distant future.
 

We had 10 average or above average hitters this season, we were 9th in position player war (28th in defense), 13th in pitching war, a .530 base runs expected winning percentage. This was a good team, we just couldn't figure out how to manage it to a winning season.

KEY (Categories):
1) IMPACT or STAR CALIBER (4+ WAR) | #1-2 STARTER | ELITE RELIEVER 
2) Quality Regular/Strong Platoon Player (2-4 WAR) | #3-4 Starter | Quality reliever 
3) Question Mark (<2 WAR) - mediocre or worse position player | fill-in starter | questionable mid-reliever
The basic idea is that a category 1 is--at the very least--a very good player, either an impact player/borderline star, or a bonafide star or superstar. I'm not differentiating too much, because the point is that these are players who are definitive regulars with no significant question marks and a clear expectation of being a quality, well above average major leaguer. Only the very best relievers would fit into this category.
The second category are either quality regulars or strong platoon players - meaning, players that play more than half of a platoon at a quality level, mid-rotation starters, and quality--and reliable--relievers.
The third category are the question marks: either mediocre or worse regulars, prospects, or players with major concerns; this also includes classic #5-6 "filler" starters, and garden variety mid-relievers. 
This system allows us to look at the team in terms of strengths and weaknesses, and pinpoint areas of concern. Anything not in bold could use upgrading; theoretically a contender would have bold-face (category 1 and 2) players at almost every position, with at least a few category 1 players in the lineup and pitching staff.
 
LINEUP
C. Stassi, Bemboom
1B: Walsh, Pujols, Thaiss
2B: Rengifo, Barreto
SS: FLETCHER
3B: RENDON
LF: Upton
CF: TROUT
RF: Ward, Adell, Marsh
DH: Ohtani
Stassi and Walsh have been revelations, and maybe I'm being too bullish on them but I think they should--at least--be solid regulars or strong platoon players. Ward is more questionable, but I'm also veering towards optimism. We're so used to being disappointed, but the fact is that Walsh and Ward tore up AAA, so we shouldn't be surprised that their hitting is finally coming around. I'm not expecting stardom, but quality performance levels seems plausible, even likely.
ROTATION: 
Bundy, Heaney, Canning, Barria, Ohtani, Sandoval, Suarez.
While the biggest question mark is Ohtani, who could be anything from a true ace to never pitching again, Barria is tentatively joining Bundy as another pleasant surprise. I'm banking on him at least being a good #4, and thus a viable category 2 pitcher. The good news is that depth is emerging; Heaney seems to have found his 2018 form, and Canning seems to be improving bit by bit, giving the Angels four solid mid-rotation starters, possibly five if Sandoval performs as hoped. The bad news is that the Angels still lack a bonafide ace. Even if Ohtani finally actualizes his potential, it likely won't be for more than about 20 starts and 100 IP, and even that seems like a tall order. 
BULLPEN: 
Mayers, Pena, Buttrey, Andriese, Middleton, Bedrosian, Barnes, Robles, Ramirez.
Who knows what to expect. Pena continues to be a solid contributor, and Mayers has pitched extremely well with peripherals that point to continued success, but Buttrey, Middleton, and Robles continue to disappoint, and clearly the bullpen needs some work.
CONCLUSION:
Scanning over the above, there's a lot to be optimistic about. The emergence of Stassi, Walsh and Ward allows the Angels to carry potential weak offense at 2B and possibly RF, which may end up being the only positions in the lineup with below average offense. On the other hand, Rengifo or Barreto could take a step forward, which would make the lineup very strong next year, and Ward could continue his recent performance over a full season--not to mention Marsh and Adell. All of this also allows the Angels to focus whatever funds they have to spend almost entirely on bolstering the pitching staff: 1-2 starters, and 2-3 relievers seem in order.
Even just one more category 2 starter--say, Stroman, Odorizzi, or Gausman--and a couple quality relievers may be enough to push this team over the edge into legitimate contender. But I would expect Eppler (or whoever is GM) to go a bit further. This team is closer than we thought a month ago.

Short season, but when was the previous Halos season where four starters had sub 4.00 ERAs?

Given all the financial uncertainty in baseball right now, why would you burn your bridges with your current team?  I just can’t see Simmons not taking a pay cut and getting no more than 2 years on a deal. 
Many teams have good situations with shortstops right now, and he’s competing with other FA shortstops, so realistic openings are going to be limited.   Why eliminate your current team as a fall back option?
I just think it’s a bad business decision.  

That Maddon quote is concerning. Sounds like the dude just dipped without telling anyone. Real dick move. I love Simmons but I lost an incredible amount of respect for him.

If this was a regular 162 game season we would be in pretty good shape. We would have been buyers instead of sellers. We're only 3.5 games from making the playoffs. In a regular season we would have over a hundred games left to make a run, instead of 4.

^^^ From the article.

This is one of the best articles I have ever seen written about the Angels front office under Moreno. Great job @Dollar Bill. It offers such a great, comprehensive view of the Moreno years without getting buried in weeds or coming off as blasting or touting anyone specifically. 
Once again, it’ll be an interesting offseason. Maybe the biggest yet for the future of this club for the next decade. 
Also, the bit about non-tenders and a flooded free agent class is interesting and could be quite a wrinkle to usual offseasons.

I understand that, but being dog shit for several years a-gain after mostly going through that in the 1970’s, 1990s, and 2010s Is monotonous, especially if another WS is not reached and the tearing down happens.
33 under .500 seasons out of 60 is a lot, when one has been a fan since 1966.

I disagree with the common idea that we're at a binary position of either A) give up any hopes of winning during Trout's prime and continue to build from within, or B) gut the farm in order to win now.
This isn't a bad team, and more importantly: it is actually a pretty good team and isn't far from being a very good team. Given a full season, this team as configured would probably win 85-90 games. Let us not forget that after a terrible start that saw the Angels at 10-22, they've played very well since: 14-9, which prorated to 162 games is a 99-win pace. I'm not saying they're a 99-win team, but they may be a 90-win team. Right now, with no changes.
So what to do? I would continue to build up the farm and bolster the current team with modest free agent and trade acquisitions. I wouldn't trade away any of the higher upside players--Adell, Marsh, Adams, Detmers, C Rod, Kochanowicz, Vera, Paris, etc--but I would try to be savvy and look for another Bundy, be it via free agency (Gausman?) or trade.
There is really no reason why 2021 can't begin another era like 2004-09. Whether that includes a WS championship is impossible to control. The Yankees are always good but haven't won in 11 years, the Dodgers haven't won since 1988. But almost every year they are in the thick of things, which makes the season far more interesting. Whey are they in the thick of things? I think mostly because they're smart organizations: they invest heavily in scouting and player development. They generally only offer mega-deals to premium players still in their prime. Most of the teams with perennial success have some variation of the same thing in common: excellent scouting, player development, and savvy player acquisition. And perhaps a bit of luck.
I don't think Dave Dombrowski is the answer. He did win with the Red Sox in 2018, but at what cost? The Price deal essentially cost the team Mookie Betts. Kimbrel was great and then fell apart. The Sale contract is turning into a disaster. JD Martinez seems to be getting old really fast. Meaning, he caught lightning in a bottle and the Red Sox were ridiculously good, but are terrible two years later.
I'm not sure Billy Eppler is the answer, either, but the team's play over the last few weeks may be more indicative of what is in store going forward than the first month or so. 

45 games and 383 innings over two seasons isn't much.   Less than half as much as he's played CF... where he's looked far more comfortable in just two games there this year.
Semantic arguments are fun, though.
Let's discuss my use of the word "fun".