The Los Angeles Angels enjoyed a solid April before crumbling in May and June. Their 14-game losing streak was the talk of MLB for the past few weeks and many are questioning whether they are even a playoff contender. As of this story's publication, the Angels own an underwhelming 29-34 record and sit in third place in the AL West.

So should they be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?

Here is a breakdown of 3 reasons why the Angels should be buyers at the trade deadline.

3 reasons Angels should be buyers at the MLB trade deadline

Expanded postseason 

MLB added two extra playoff teams for the 2022 season. This alone will entice a number of fringe contenders to go all in on buying at the trade deadline. The Angels are just a couple of pieces away from becoming a legitimate contender so adding at the deadline makes sense.

The only way Los Angeles could make a realistic selling argument is if they go on another dreadful losing streak. As long as they hover around .500 this is a team that should do what they can to contend.

Powerful offense

The Angels have a lineup capable of making the postseason. Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Jared Walsh, and Anthony Rendon highlight an offense that can post an insane amount of runs at any given moment. They feature arguably the best two hitters in MLB.

The Angels downfall is their pitching. They attempted to add starters over the offseason and came away with Noah Syndergaard. Syndergaard was once considered one of the best pitchers in baseball but has dealt with injuries over the past couple of seasons.

They have promising young starters such as Patrick Sandoval and Reid Detmers to go along with Syndergaard and Shohei Ohtani. But they could take the next step by adding just one or two more proven starting pitchers.

The Angels are too close from contending to sell. They can't afford to waste their top-tier offense.

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MLB needs the Angels in the postseason

From a marketing perspective, MLB needs the Angels to make the playoffs. Every other sport consistenly features their best players in the postseason. LeBron James typically is the NBA playoffs and Tom Brady has made the NFL postseason on a regular basis. But Mike Trout has just three games of playoff experience to his credit which came back in 2014. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani has yet to play meaningful October baseball.

The league needs their best talent in the big games. Their brand is negatively affected when Trout and Ohtani are sitting at home during the postseason and World Series.

Obviously, it isn't the Angels job to market for MLB. But they do have a responsibility to not waste the game's best talent. And if they fail to make the playoffs again, the only way to label their 2022 season would be “wasted talent.”

The Angels cannot sell this year. They need to do everything in their power to build a contending roster.

Bonus: A potential trade package the Angels could acquire

The Cincinnati Reds are going to be a seller. Tyler Mahle has pitched well in 2022 and Luis Castillo is a proven ace-caliber staring pitcher. The Angels should offer the Reds a trade package centered around those two arms. They could be the difference for the Halos this season.

Whether they acquire Castillo and Mahle or not, this is a team that needs to try and win.