Now that the dust has (mainly) settled, here is the summary of just the last month of Angels incompetence:

1. Despite having around a 5% chance of making the playoffs, they trade away the best remaining parts of their shitty minor league system for a variety of veterans.

2. They immediately play worse, fall completely out of contention. Trout hurt, Rendon might be dead, Shohei torn UCL, etc etc

3. They then do the somewhat uncouth maneuver of putting almost all these trade acquisitions on waivers, being that if they all get claimed they can end the season under the CBT threshold.

4. 5 of the 6 players get claimed, but no one wanted Randal Grichuk (ouch) so now they still will most likely finish slightly above the tax. You might say "well, thats not that bad of a deal, as they probably wont be repeat offenders next year, especially once Shohei signs elsewhere". Thats true but:

5. This affects their already almost zero compensation for Shohei (who they could have traded):
CBT payors also receive reduced compensation for losing qualified free agents. The Angels are going to make a qualifying offer to Shohei Ohtani, which he’ll decline. If he subsequently signs elsewhere, the Halos would receive a compensation pick after the fourth round in the 2024 draft. That’s typically around the 140th overall selection. Had the Angels gotten under the threshold, the compensatory pick would’ve landed between Competitive Balance Round B and the third round — approximately 70th overall.
The Rockies have to love the fact that the Angels exist. Intentional incompetence (Oakland) can at least be seen and understood what is happening there. LAA is just next-level dumb shit. I hope Trout demands a trade next year.