The Los Angeles Angels are looking for athleticism in the outfield, and with their latest move, they may have found it-at least in part. The acquisition of Josh Lowe in a three-team deal gives the Angels a dynamic left-handed bat and a player with legitimate tools, but it also raises some questions about roster construction and fit.
Let’s start with what Lowe brings to the table. In 2023, he flashed the kind of upside that turns heads: 20 home runs, 32 stolen bases, and an .835 OPS.
That’s the kind of production the Angels have been sorely lacking from the left side of the plate, and pairing Lowe with Nolan Schanuel gives Los Angeles some much-needed lineup balance. For a team that’s struggled to find consistent offensive threats beyond Mike Trout, that’s no small thing.
Speaking of Trout, his future in the outfield remains murky. Whether or not he returns to a full-time outfield role, the Angels clearly needed to address their lack of athleticism and defensive range out there.
Jorge Soler could see time in left field, but that’s not exactly a glove-first solution. Jo Adell has the tools but hasn’t always shown the instincts to match.
That’s where the Angels are hoping Lowe can make an impact-not just with the bat, but with his speed and overall athletic profile.
But here’s where things get tricky.
Lowe is a classic platoon bat. Against right-handed pitching, he’s more than serviceable-he owns a career slash line of .266/.322/.450.
That’ll play. The problem comes when he faces lefties.
For his career, he’s hit just .181 with a .240 on-base percentage and .264 slugging against southpaws. In 2025, those numbers dipped even further.
He struck out in a third of those plate appearances and showed little ability to adjust. That kind of split makes it tough to pencil him in as an everyday option without a right-handed complement.
And that’s exactly where the Angels are short.
Bryce Teodosio might be the most logical platoon partner, but he's unproven and carries his own swing-and-miss concerns. His .699 OPS against lefties comes with a 33.3% strikeout rate and a walk rate barely above 3%.
That’s not the kind of profile that screams “platoon solution.” Wade Meckler, a recent waiver claim, is another lefty bat and even less experienced-he’s not the answer either.
There’s some buzz around Nelson Rada, a 20-year-old prospect who’s shown strong contact skills in Triple-A, including an 82.4% contact rate last season. He’s another lefty, but the hope is that his bat-to-ball skills might translate against left-handed pitching.
Still, calling him up to face tough lefties in a platoon role isn’t ideal. If Rada’s going to be in the majors, he needs consistent at-bats to develop-not sporadic appearances in unfavorable matchups.
That brings us back to the trade itself. The Angels gave up Brock Burke, one of their more promising bullpen arms, to get Lowe.
That’s a gamble, especially for a team that doesn’t exactly have a deep or reliable bullpen to begin with. But it’s clear GM Perry Minasian saw enough upside in Lowe to make that deal.
If Lowe can replicate his 2023 form, he could be a spark plug in the lineup and a weapon on the basepaths. That’s a big “if,” though, especially without a clear plan to shield him from left-handed pitching.
In a vacuum, Lowe is a solid pickup-athletic, toolsy, and still just 28. But on a roster as thin as the Angels’, fit matters.
And right now, the fit feels a little forced. Unless another move is on the horizon to address the platoon gap or bolster the outfield depth, this trade could end up asking too much of a player who’s at his best in a more specialized role.
The Angels needed athleticism, and they got it. But they also created a new puzzle in the process. Whether they can solve it in time for Opening Day remains to be seen.