Duren, Duren

If 2024 wasn't primarily about taking stock, why didn't Perry spend more? He signed no major free agents - just a bunch of bench guys and relievers. As you say, they've got some trade fodder and the rest of the guys you mention are cheap filler. They're on the team because the Angels don't have enough minor league depth to fill a major league roster.
I agree that it is a "shitty team with ton of journeymen," but there's also some young talent. And again, who do you want to see playing that isn't playing? We can nitpick details, like giving Hicks playing time over Adell, but I'm guessing that will change eventually.
Or to put it another way, if they accept that they need to take stock and rebuild, what else could they have done? Rebuilding a team takes time; signing and developing young players takes years. The fact that the Angels didn't max out their payroll with (more) dubious free agent contracts is a good thing - it means they've accepted the fact that their approach of the last eight years hasn't worked, and they need to try something else.

I always figured this year, and possibly next, would time for rebuilding and seeing what they have in terms of players in the system. I never understood the the vets on one-year deals unless they were there to fill in when the younger players needed a game or two off. Some folks keep saying, “trade value,” but what are you realistically going to get for any of those guys? You may get a lottery ticket or two, but nothing of any consequence from any other org. So that argument makes no sense. I don’t mind if they need to stink for a few seasons if they have a clear plan to rebuild. My biggest issue with the team is just that it seems like this team lacks any clear direction or prospect depth, with no sense that they will set a course and stay with it.

I hear your point, but Neto did just fine last year. He wasn't great, but he held his own. Schanuel it is less clear. He didn't play enough last year to really show that he could handle major league pitching, so I'm more open to the possibility that he's best served in the minors for a couple months. But I think his main problem is a bit of confusion about who he is as a hitter. To me, he is a contact and walks guy, yet there's been all this talk about him putting on muscle and trying to hit for more power. That's a quick route to ruining what is already a great skill set. 

He would need to start actually getting some hits for that to occur. 

This isn't constructed as a taking stock/rebuilding team. 
Drury, Estevez, and Moore might bring back a fringe prospect at the deadline, but there are a shit ton of other veterans taking up playing time who are on expiring contracts and presumably have no trade value.
There is no reason for Hicks, Sano, Garcia, Cisnero, Strickland, Fulmer, or Adrianza to be on a rebuilding team. They aren't good, they don't have any team control, and they don't have any trade value.
Altogether, the Halos probably have minimum 10 guys on this roster who won't be here next year. 
It's not like they are building towards a better future or something. This is just a shitty team with a ton of journeymen hoping to tread water long enough for the front office to keep their jobs. 

I agree with most of this but an argument can be made that Neto and/or Schanuel would be better off developing in the minors to achieve their best possible long-term potential. Neto especially looks completely lost right now at the ML level, especially against breaking balls. Most fans agree that Adell was brought up way too early and it may have significantly impacted his development. That could also be the case here, of course it is hard to ascertain if that is the case or not. On the other hand, Adell is having the best plate appearance of the "future" hitters (0 WAR, 110 OPS+), sans O'Hoppe, and he has the fewest starts (7). Neto has 20 starts (-0.1 WAR, 37 OPS+), O'Hoppe has 17 (0.5 WAR, 134 OPS+), Schanuel 16 (-0.1 WAR, 52 OPS+), and Moniak 12 (-0.7 WAR, 39 OPPS+). I get that part of that is due to the respective positions they play and all but it is still pretty crazy, especially considering that Adell still has a high ceiling.

The AL West sucks because none of the other teams have gotten to play the Angels.

I've lost full confidence in Wash because of this one. I really appreciate the way Wash has emphasized defense, situational hitting, and baserunning, but if you aren't going to play the best players -- get the fuck out.
Hicks was below average against RHP even in his prime. He is fully washed up -- the Yankees paid him ~$30mm to not play for them. Hicks playing against RHP, and hitting leadoff, is flat out fucking ridiculous. 

Anyone that thought this team was a .500 team going into the season had their fan blinders on. 

Very transparent chain of events that have lead to this situation, as I outlined below.
 
 

If Ron Washington does know that, it makes even less sense that Hicks has started over half of the games so far. He has a -0.5 WAR and a robust 27 OPS+. Just DFA him and start Adell 6/7 games, Moniak against all RHP starters and Sano between 3rd, 1st, and DH.

Poor Trout. A great career wasted on a sub-par team in a dysfunctional organization. He will finish his career never having been to the promised land. 

Yeah, it is sort of disheartening. For awhile there it looked like they could go up over .500 and shoot for something like 85 wins on the season. Now I'd be surprised if they won 75. The team is a mess. Trout and Ward have been trending down the last week. I'm sure they'll bounce back, but we might also need to accept the likelihood that this version of Trout isn't a full renaissance. The pitching is a mess. Schanuel and Neto look under-cooked. Etc.
But, while it is disheartening, it isn't surprising. Their strongish start was more surprising. This is more what we should have expected.

Putting all the drama aside, what seems clear is he is an aging guy who can’t stay healthy. That is rather obvious. It happens to over 30 types. 

You have forgotten the wild throw Rengifo made from 3rd in the 1st inning on Saturday?

I had the same thought at the time while watching live, but I can at least appreciate Wash is pushing the young pitchers to get out of trouble and deep into games. 

Soriano had a really good outing. But I would have pulled him after Rengifo's error. I just had a feeling that it would be disruptive and it would be better to take him out then while things were all positive. But with this bullpen ... 
Like clockwork, inner diamond defense creates a critical error. Rengifo needs to never play second again. But his bat still is better than most everyone else. Maybe rotate him at third, RF, DH. Stay away from short and second. 
Getting shut out even when their starter is forced to leave in the first? With a Reds team with a lot of backups? 
Drifting into oblivion quickly unless the homestand is a great success. Getting close to the time Perry needs to perform radical surgery. 

So Rendon lasted 1/8th of the season without an injury. Let's see how this one plays out. 
Weird start. Looks like a high scoring affair in the making. 

As is the norm, another disastrous first inning by a starter. 

Frustrating game again. No clutch hitting when the game was close. Bullpen ruins a solid start. And the few solidly hit balls were mostly right at defenders. 
Ward might have eventually scored if he didn't think his double was a homer and hustled more on the bases. Instead we saw what happened. 
Neto doesn't look like a major leaguer right now. Even when he makes his best contact (which is rare) it's warning track power. And he is lost at the plate, fooled constantly by pitches. Velasquez at least had a glove. In hindsight looks like Neto was rushed or maybe just can't adjust to the majors. 
Shortstop continues to be a problem. 
Anyways, now two games below .500 and not trending in the right direction. 
 
 

Frustrating game again. No clutch hitting when the game was close. Bullpen ruins a solid start. And the few solidly hit balls were mostly right at defenders. 
Ward might have eventually scored if he didn't think his double was a homer and hustled more on the bases. Instead we saw what happened. 
Neto doesn't look like a major leaguer right now. Even when he makes his best contact (which is rare) it's warning track power. And he is lost at the plate, fooled constantly by pitches. Velasquez at least had a glove. In hindsight looks like Neto was rushed or maybe just can't adjust to the majors. 
Shortstop continues to be a problem. 
Anyways, now two games below .500 and not trending in the right direction. 
 
 

The Astros cheating scandal shows all you need to know about the current commissioner. Common sense alludes him. 

The smartest relief pitcher ever was Mike Marshall. He became a professor of kinesiology at Michigan I believe when he retired. He threw the screwball, which was the most damaging on the arm. He micromanaged and perfected  his pitching  technique and won a Cy Young while pitching big innings. 
Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver also had great technique and relied on powerful lower bodies to anchor their deliveries. And were easy HOF pitchers who were workhorses who threw tons of innings. Without serious arm injuries. 
My point is that technique is critical. The motion, drive,  delivery, finish have to be perfected and in sync. Of course no matter what there still is strain, wear and tear and injury risk. Especially with some of the more demanding pitches. Stuff pitching coaches and trainers need to work on individually with each pitcher. There are important dynamics beside velocity and shaping pitches. 

Perry needs to get pro active and make some roster moves. The season could slip away quickly if some changes aren't made. 
The farm is still not that promising at the high level with hitters but lower down some guys are starting to grow..
https://halohangout.com/posts/these-fast-rising-angels-prospects-deserve-attention-after-hot-start-01hvkq2pxh9f

Not a bad outing by Canning. After the first. Some bad luck on infield grounders. But the hitters haven't picked him up. And now the bullpen fun begins.