The Angels are staring at another lost season, and that reality is what makes the trade deadline so obvious for them.
Los Angeles is headed toward its 12th straight year without a postseason berth and sits at the bottom of the American League standings. With the deadline exactly two weeks away, the club has a chance to stop pretending the current path is working and start collecting pieces that might actually move it forward.
That means making pitchers available, even if the names are familiar. Mike Trout may want to stay with the organization that drafted him, but the front office should be thinking bigger than sentiment. The Angels have starting arms who could bring back prospects, and they need to be willing to move them.
MLB.com's Mark Feinsand pointed directly to Reid Detmers and Jose Soriano as the kind of controllable pitching that tends to draw interest.
"[Reid] Detmers and [Jose] Soriano are both arbitration-eligible for two more seasons, and nothing gets buyers more excited than controllable pitching," MLB.com's Mark Feinsand wrote.
"The Angels have been hesitant sellers in recent years, but if [John] Mozeliak can convince owner Arte Moreno that selling is the right move, these two arms would be highly coveted and should bring back solid returns."
Detmers has given the Angels a steady middle-of-the-rotation option, posting a 4.16 ERA with 130 strikeouts over 114.2 innings in 2026. Soriano brings a different look, but he’s been effective too. Command can still be an issue, yet he opened the year with a 25.2-inning scoreless streak and has a 3.49 ERA across 20 starts.
Both pitchers remain under club control through the 2028 season, which is exactly why they would matter to other teams. The question is whether either one would return more than a handful of middle-tier prospects.
Probably not.
But for the Angels, that may still be enough to start something they’ve needed for a long time: a real rebuild, or whatever name they want to put on it.
In Other News...
Reid Detmers Suddenly Feels Like The Angels Deadline Decision
Reid Detmers has become one of the more interesting names hanging over the Angels as the deadline approaches, not just because he can help a contender, but because he fits the kind of trade chip this front office can actually use. Los Angeles is looking for promising young hitters, especially bats with some power, and that makes Detmers a potentially valuable way to address a need that has been obvious for a while.
Interim general manager John Mozeliak may have the freedom to make that call after Perry Minasian was fired, which only adds to the sense that this could be one of the more consequential decisions of the month. The Braves, Brewers and Guardians have all been floated as possible partners, and each would have a different kind of young hitter to discuss, but for now Detmers remains in the middle of a market that has not yet produced a deal. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Face Franchise Defining Deadline Choice Arte Moreno Usually Avoids
The Angels are approaching the Aug. 3 deadline with a kind of decision Arte Moreno has usually preferred to avoid: weighing whether to move a young starter before the market fully settles. The clubs poor performance has pushed the conversation in a different direction, and the possibility of dealing pitching that remains under team control through 2028 gives the front office a real chance to reshape the roster rather than simply patch around it.
What makes the moment more delicate is the market itself, which has been shifting as other contenders have surged and narrowed the field of potential buyers. Interim GM John Mozeliak now has to navigate not just trade interest, but the larger question of whether Moreno will sign off on a deal that could define how the Angels approach the next few seasons. [Read more 🡒]
Nolan Schanuel Suddenly Feels Like An Angels Deadline Decision
Nolan Schanuel has quietly become one of the more stable pieces in the Angels lineup, the kind of first baseman who does a little of everything well enough to matter. His steady on-base ability, low strikeout rate and reliable work at first base give him a profile that tends to travel, which is why he is starting to look less like a fixed part of the roster and more like the sort of player rival clubs could circle when the market shifts.
The Angels are not actively shopping him, and there is no sense they are eager to move him. Still, if the right offer shows up, the front office would have to at least consider it, especially with clubs like Arizona, Cleveland and Detroit potentially able to build a prospect-heavy package around a player who fits a lot of needs. For now, Schanuel remains in Anaheim, but the deadline conversation around him is already starting to sound a lot more real than it did a few months ago. [Read more 🡒]