The Angels are headed toward a deadline that could reshape the roster in a hurry, and the names most likely to move are starting to come into focus. With the postseason basically out of reach and August 3 approaching, Los Angeles looks positioned to turn veteran contracts into future pieces.
MLB.com insider Mark Feinsand singled out three Angels as the most likely trade candidates: Jorge Soler, Brock Suter and Kirby Yates. Others could still be involved, but those are the three he identified in his piece.
Soler stands out as the most prominent name of the group, though his recent production has not helped his case. He is still owed about $4 million for the rest of the season, which makes him a costly rental for any club looking for help over the final two months.
Suter is a more intriguing case. He has gone 1-2 with a 4.42 ERA in 38 appearances, and his path to Anaheim has already included stops with the Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds before joining the Angels for the 2026 season. Feinsand pointed to a set of underlying numbers that make him more appealing, especially since he throws left-handed.
"But Suter ranks in the top quarter of the league in hard-hit percentage (96th percentile), average exit velocity (93rd), walk percentage (80th), ground-ball percentage (81st) and barrel percentage (76th), while his 3.59 FIP and .323 BABIP are signs that he’s pitched better than his numbers indicate," Feinsand wrote.
Yates rounds out the trio. The veteran reliever has built up a long major league résumé with the New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers, though he struggled last season with LA. This year, he is 0-5 with a 3.65 ERA and three saves, and that profile could still make him an affordable bullpen add for a contender.
For the Angels, the logic is clear enough: move expiring pieces, collect prospects and keep building. There are other possible trade chips too, including Jose Soriano and Zach Neto, but whether Los Angeles actually parts with either one depends on how the club values their team control going forward.
In Other News...
John Mozeliaks Angels Future Suddenly Feels Bigger Than A Stopgap
John Mozeliak arrived as the Angels interim general manager, the sort of move that usually signals a short-term bridge while a larger front-office plan gets sorted out. But the early read around the job has shifted quickly, with the possibility that he could wind up in a more durable leadership role as the organization tries to steady itself and map out what comes next.
There is at least a plausible path for the Angels to build around that structure, with Mozeliak potentially staying on in a president of baseball operations role and bringing in a general manager underneath him. Add in a division that has not exactly set an imposing standard and a draft class that has given the club some reason for optimism, and the front office picture suddenly feels less like a placeholder and more like the start of something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Fans May Not Be Ready For This Ryan Zeferjahn Decision
Ryan Zeferjahn has gone from a useful bullpen arm to one of the more interesting names on the Angels roster, and the reason is simple: his stuff has taken a clear step forward. The right-hander added a new pitch, reshaped his mix, and the results have pushed him into higher-leverage work, the kind of usage that usually makes a reliever far more valuable than his name recognition suggests.
That kind of breakout matters even more because Zeferjahn is under club control through 2030, which makes him the sort of arm front offices tend to covet. With the Angels interim GM saying the club is open to listening on everyone, the possibility of moving a pitcher with this much upside and team control is very real, and it is the kind of decision that could say a lot about how aggressively the organization wants to reshape its future. [Read more 🡒]