The Los Angeles Angels boast two of the best players in baseball in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, who have been remarkable this season. Unfortunately, their dominance isn't translating to wins for the Angels. The Halos sit at just 38-48 on the season and continue to flounder after firing Joe Maddon earlier in the year.
The Angels' batting order has been struggling despite the presence of Trout and Ohtani, inconsistencies and injuries have hobbled the bullpen, and the starting rotation has been far from impressive. With the Houston Astros dominating the AL West and LA seven games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the last AL Wild Card spot, it seems imperative for the Angels to become sellers before the 2022 MLB trade deadline.
These are some names who will have a ton of interest if they are available ahead of the deadline.
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Angels 2022 MLB Trade Deadline Candidates
One of the most talented starting pitchers in the league has not fully regained his form with Los Angeles after leaving the New York Mets. The Angels signed Noah Syndergaard for one season, but he has only recorded a 5-7 record with a 3.84 ERA. With the squad's standing, the chances for Syndergaard to depart when his contract expires is more than likely.
Syndergaard is not the pitcher he was at the peak of his powers, but he should still bring back some value. It is well-documented that the Angels' farm system is poor, so a trade of Syndergaard could help replenish that.
2. Jo Adell
When top prospects are waiting to be called to the majors, the intrigue and excitement start to ramp up. That was the case for outfielder Jo Adell, who was a top prospect when he made his MLB debut in 2020. However, now in his third season, he has failed to reach those astronomical expectations. In 2022, he is only slashing .250/.276/.417 with three home runs and 10 RBI.
At just 23 years of age, Adell will still have chances of finding his footing. A change of scenery could wind up being the best-case scenario for him, and some other team might be willing to part with something valuable in a bet on his potential. Pairing Adell with Mike Trout in the outfield was the ideal scenario, but things are just not working out right now.
After winning a World Series with the Washington Nationals, Anthony Rendon signed a massive seven-year, $245 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels. Similar to the Justin Upton and Josh Hamilton deals, this contract soon became full-blown disaster. Rendon had an excellent first season with the Angels in 2020, but he has since fallen apart and missed a lot of time with injuries.
Even if Rendon was phenomenal with the Nationals, it was an overreaction to offer him that big of a bag. The move seemingly made some sense at the time to help surround the superstars with talent, but now it is simply looking like a big mistake.
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Unfortunately, even with two of the best players in the league, the Angels are light years away from contending in the American League. The New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and Tampa Bay Rays are just some organizations that will not soon plummet. Focusing on player development must be of the utmost priority as they try to build a winner with the generational talent of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.
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