Angels Face Crucial Trade Deadline Decisions
The Anaheim Angels find themselves at a pivotal juncture, with potential opportunities to reshape their future.
Ken Rosenthal from The Athletic shared his insights on Foul Territory, suggesting that “this is a team that can control the trade deadline.”
According to Rosenthal, the Angels possess some appealing assets as sellers, notably Jose Soriano and Reid Detmers, both of whom will be under club control for two more years.
Historically, the Angels have been unpredictable during trade seasons, famously holding onto star player Shohei Ohtani during the 2023 deadline, despite being in a position to sell.
If there was ever a time for the Angels to embrace a selling strategy, it would be now. Recently, the organization fired general manager Perry Minassian, appointing John Mozeliak as the interim GM, who will also handle day-to-day baseball operations.
On Saturday, Mozeliak emphasized the need for a change in how the team operates, from both major and minor league perspectives. Given their 36-49 record as of last Monday in the American League West, it seems like a prime moment for the Angels to sell during this year’s deadline.
Both Soriano and Detmers rank among the top 10 in the American League for strikeouts. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale noted that Detmers could potentially be traded for a player like Tarik Skubal.
For the initial months of the season, Soriano shone as one of the top pitchers, boasting a 2.65 ERA and emerging as a serious Cy Young candidate.
Rosenthal mentioned that Zack Neto might not be a valuable trade piece this year, as shortstop demand seems lower, and he has three years of control remaining.
Joe Adell, set to have just one year left after this season, is another player that could be up for trade consideration, alongside Brent Suter and Adam Frazier.
“These are intriguing pieces,” Rosenthal remarked. “[Arte] Moreno has often resisted this kind of approach.”
He also cautioned that if the Angels choose not to sell, they will need to focus on building around their current roster, which is led by Mike Trout and includes promising young pitcher Wolbert Ureña, who has a 3.14 ERA with 69 strikeouts across 13 starts.
