The Angels are sitting in a very different spot now. With a new owner and deeper pockets, they have a chance to use money as a weapon, and that opens the door to a kind of trade they couldn’t really chase before: taking on a bad contract in exchange for a player who can still help.
That matters because plenty of teams are staring at ugly books after rough 2026 seasons, and some of them may be willing to move an expensive veteran just to get some relief. For the Angels, that could mean finding a buy-low target who costs real money but doesn’t cost much in prospect capital.
One of the cleaner fits is Toronto infielder Andres Gimenez, who has three years and $57.9 million left on his deal. The Blue Jays are already carrying a heavy financial load after a rough year, including Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s massive contract and more than $10 million next season for Dylan Cease, Gimenez, Jose Berrios, Kazuma Okamoto, Anthony Santander, Tyler Rogers, Alejandro Kirk and Cody Ponce.
Among that group, Gimenez stands out as the most appealing possibility for Los Angeles. The Angels have lived with defensive problems for years, and Gimenez would immediately change that at a premium infield spot.
He can handle both shortstop and second base at a high level, which could let the Angels shift Zach Neto to second or third base on a more permanent basis. Neto finished 2026 with -8 outs above average, putting him in the sixth percentile, while Gimenez’s 19 OAA ranked in the 99th percentile.
Toronto would still want a semi-intriguing prospect or two, and the Angels would have to absorb the full contract. But if Los Angeles wants to stabilize the weakest part of its roster, Gimenez makes a lot of sense even with the offensive questions.
Another name to watch is Chicago White Sox starter Luis Castillo, who has two years and $45.1 million remaining. The Angels know him well after years of seeing him carve them up, and he just turned in the worst season of his career in 2026. His numbers dropped to career lows across the board, and he is clearly on the far side of his prime at soon-to-be 34.
Still, Castillo logged 130.2 innings over 29 games last season, and that durability matters. The Angels are still looking for one more starter to pair with Reid Detmers, Walbert Urena, Yusei Kikuchi and Grayson Rodriguez, so taking a shot on a durable arm with a track record of missing bats is not a crazy idea. A rebound would look a lot like what Aroldis Chapman has done in his late 30s: another big arm finding new life in the right setting.
Carlos Rodon is another possible target, and his situation in New York is worth watching. The Yankees have a crowd in their rotation with Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, Ryan Weathers, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil, Will Warren and Elmer Rodriguez all in the mix. That could leave Rodon, who is soon-to-be 34, as the odd man out heading into 2027.
Rodon is still coming off a strong season. He put up a 2.67 ERA across 84.1 innings last year, but the Yankees might be willing to sell high on an aging starter with an injury history if it means clearing his two remaining years and $54 million from the books. Aaron Boone did not use him at all in the postseason, and that may say plenty about where things stand.
In Other News...
Angels Prospect Joel Hurtado Is Following A Very Familiar Breakout Path
Joel Hurtado has become one of the more intriguing pitching names in the Angels system, and not just because the radar gun likes him. The right-hander is built around a high-velocity fastball, but what has really pushed him forward is the way his command has started to come along, giving the organization a young arm with a chance to move beyond pure stuff.
There is also a familiar feel to the way his development is unfolding inside the system, the kind of trajectory the Angels have seen before from another pitching prospect who climbed the ladder with a similar profile. Hurtado spoke in an exclusive interview about his workload and what he is trying to build toward, and that part of the story matters as much as the velocity because it points to the larger question the Angels now have to answer about how far they want to let this breakout go. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Search For Direction Just Got Even Murkier
The Angels managerial search was already moving without much clarity, and the latest twist around Rocco Baldelli only adds to the fog. Los Angeles still does not have a manager, and with the front office also in flux, there has been little public sense of where the club is heading or who is actually in the mix for the job.
Baldelli had been tied to the Mariners opening before stepping out of that process, which naturally invites questions about whether his name had any real connection to Anaheim. The problem for the Angels is bigger than one candidate, though, because it remains unclear who they are prioritizing at all, and the turnover around interim GM John Mozeliak only deepens the uncertainty about how this search will be run. [Read more 🡒]
Angels May Have Found A Power Bat Worth Watching Fast
Gavin Grahovac did not take long to make a first impression in the Angels system. The third-round pick from the 2026 draft got to Single-A Rancho Cucamonga for his first pro action and showed the kind of pop that can move a prospect onto the radar quickly, finishing with a .304 average and a run of strong offensive production that hinted at more than just a hot start.
The appeal is even better when you remember how much time he lost before turning pro. Grahovac was coming off a shoulder injury and had to rebuild momentum before getting back on the field, which makes the power he flashed all the more notable. For an Angels organization always looking for impact bats to emerge, he now looks like one of the early names worth tracking closely as his development continues. [Read more 🡒]