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The Los Angeles Angels may not be having the type of season they wanted, but at least they have some clarity. With Mike Trout injured once again, the pitching staff in shambles and the young lineup taking its lumps, this is a team in the early stages of a painful rebuild.
Unfortunately, the window of time to trade Trout and get a solid stimulus package of future stars has likely passed. But the Angels still have plenty they can trade to try and jumpstart their future, something they haven't even attempted to do in the Arte Moreno/Perry Minasian regime.
That can only mean one thing: It's time to tear this thing down. We're hosting a full-on Angels garage sale, and everything must go. Here are three ideal trades for the Angels to make in hopes of finally building a playoff team sometime this decade.
Angels trade SP Tyler Anderson to Brewers
The last three seasons of Tyler Anderson's MLB career would make for a very interesting docuseries. He came into 2022 with a 4.62 ERA, only to make an All-Star team as one of the aces of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He parlayed that into a three-year deal with the Angels, only to be one of the worst pitchers in MLB in 2023. But in 2024, despite eerily similar peripheral stats to the year before, Anderson has once again been an All-Star-caliber pitcher.
Anderson's 2.47 ERA in 11 starts this season is lower than his season ERA from that sterling 2022 season, despite a FIP of 4.55, which is only a tiny bit lower than last year's 4.92. Anderson's BABIP has dropped nearly 100 points, from .302 to .211. That seems to scream that regression is in order, so the Angels should take action to find a suitor as soon as possible.
The Milwaukee Brewers look like the perfect suitor, seeing as they've become a haven for journeymen looking for a second wind, whether it's Wade Miley, Brett Anderson or Colin Rea. With a decimated rotation, the Brewers would almost certainly get the most out of Anderson, plus they gain team control over him for 2025. Milwaukee sends No. 9 and 15 prospects Yophery Rodriguez and Luke Adams to the Halos.
Angels trade LF Taylor Ward to Royals
When Taylor Ward has been healthy over the past four seasons, he has been one of the more consistent corner outfielders in all of baseball. He might not be a threat to make an All-Star team, but he'll give you an OPS between .760 and .830 with a well-rounded offensive profile. With two years of control remaining after 2024, he simply doesn't fit the Angels' timeline, but he can help a lot of teams win right now.
Across the league, fewer teams need more help in the corner outfield than the Kansas City Royals. MJ Melendez's quest to become Daulton Varsho-lite is proving unfruitful, while Hunter Renfroe and Dairon Blanco have done next to nothing. Ward would be a steadying force for the K.C. lineup, making them much scarier to face down the stretch.
While the Royals famously don't have a great farm system, the Angels can trade for a few young players essentially amounting to lottery tickets. In this hypothetical, K.C. trades its No. 6, 11 and 20 prospects to L.A. It's a trio of arms, which the Angels desperately need: RHPs Blake Wolters and Chandler Champlain along with LHP Noah Cameron.
Angels trade RP Carlos Estevez to Dodgers
If there's one Angels player who absolutely must be dealt before the end of July, it's closer Carlos Estevez. In hindsight, the Halos would have loved to get the maximum return for Estevez at last year's deadline, but instead they famously went for broke in hopes of keeping Shohei Ohtani. It's hardly the worst effect of that ill-fated decision, but Estevez's value has dipped significantly.
Nonetheless, Estevez is a former All-Star being paid just $6.75 million this season and will be a free agent at the end of the year. Although Estevez's season ERA is still over 4.50, his walk rate is down and his slider has been the victim of some awful batted ball luck, so there's plenty of reason to believe the 31-year-old could have a big second half on a contender looking for a rental.
If there's any team that can be trusted to get the most out of a veteran reliever, it's the team just up the road from Anaheim: the star-laden Los Angeles Dodgers. Though Evan Phillips and Daniel Hudson have both been solid at the end of games, there's always room on a contender for an extra weapon out of the bullpen. The Dodgers send their No. 10 prospect, OF Kendall George, to Anaheim for Estevez.
