3 Win-Win Reid Detmers Mock Trades That Help Both Sides

For years, it’s seemed like something about the Los Angeles Angels was cursed.

Time and time again, they’ve failed to make the postseason, even with MVP seasons from Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Their free agent acquisitions seem to never pan out, and Arte Moreno and his front office have flat out refused to enter a rebuild period.

Luckily for Angels fans, it seems a new era of baseball is being ushered in by interim GM John Mozeliak, who assumed the role after Perry Minasian was dismissed in June. Mozeliak already showcased the organization’s new philosophy in the 2026 amateur player draft, where he broke the Angels’ seven-year streak of avoiding high school talent in the first round.

Now, this week, Mozeliak sent a message to the rest of the league when he dealt catcher Logan O’Hoppe and relief pitcher Chase Silseth to the Texas Rangers: the Angels aren’t shying away from a rebuild any longer, and are open for business.

With the Angels’ new willingness to sell, their ace Reid Detmers immediately becomes one of the most coveted starting pitcher options on the market. With several years of control and flashes of dominance so far, there are already an abundance of buyers checking in on the availability of left-hander’s services.

Let’s dive into what makes Detmers so appealing, and some potential trade packages we could see prior to the August 3 trade deadline.

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The Target: Reid Detmers

Detmers first began his major league career back in 2021, just a year after being selected 10th overall in the 2020 amateur player draft. Since then, the Louisville product has shown tremendous flashes of excellence in a somewhat volatile career.

This year, Detmers finds himself in the midst of his best year to date, which will also be his longest to date (barring injury). Through 22 starts so far, the left-hander has fired off 125 innings pitched, in which he’s sported a 4.03 ERA. Don’t let that one number fool you, though; Detmers is much more valuable than you’d think given that mark.

Through those 22 starts, Detmers has been worth 3.0 fWAR, given his availability and high strikeout rate. He ranks in the 86th percentile in that regard in 2026, setting batters down on strikes 28.3% of the time.

Detmers’ strikeout success comes largely as a result of his slider, which has been one of the most devastating in the league this year. It’s accumulated +11 RVAL and has held opposing hitters to a .224 xwOBA. Of all five pitches in his arsenal, Detmers’ slider has always been his best, followed by an above-average curveball.

While his other pitches haven’t had the same success, Detmers could vastly improve his offerings with a more structured coaching staff in an organization that prioritizes development (unlike the Minasian-era Angels). Add the fact that he’s under team control through 2029, and the 27-year-old becomes that much more appealing.

It’s clear to many scouts in the game that Detmers hasn’t reached his full potential, but each year he’s inching closer and closer to doing so. For these three teams, the prospect capital he’ll cost would very well be worth it to bring on a potential future ace in Reid Detmers.

Baltimore Orioles

The Package: SS Wehiwa Aloy and RHP Trey Gibson

Wehiwa Aloy

Height/Weight: 5’10″, 200 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 1st Round-CB (31), 2025 (BAL) | ETA: 2027

A standout defensive shortstop and hitter at the University of Arkansas, Wehiwa Aloy was selected by the Orioles as the 31st overall pick in last year’s amateur draft. The 22-year-old is fresh off a promotion to Double-A on July 28, after an impressive stint at High-A to start the season.

In 84 games played (375 PA) with the Frederick Keys this year, Aloy slashed .300/.371/.503, while blasting 15 home runs and posting a 122 wRC+. The year prior, he posted a 147 wRC+ in 90 plate appearances at Low-A. His 50-grade power is among his best tools, as deemed by Just Baseball entering the 2026 season.

While he’s found much success to start his professional career so far, there’s still plenty of room for Aloy’s batted ball metrics to develop. This season, he’s pulling the ball in the air just 13.6% of the time, a relatively low mark. He’s also hitting ground balls at a 45.8% rate, while striking out 25.6% of the time.

While his bat is still a long way away from being major league ready, Aloy is the type of promising talent that’s hard to pass up on. His profile is exactly the type the Angels should be looking to retool their minor league system with, which could ultimately help the Orioles swing a deal for Detmers this deadline.

Trey Gibson (Just Baseball No. 80)

Height/Weight: 6’4″, 245 | Bat/Throw: R/R | UDFA, 2023 (BAL) | ETA: 2026

Named the Orioles’ number one overall prospect this season by Just Baseball, Baltimore signed Trey Gibson as an undrafted free agent back in 2023, but he quickly rose through the ranks. The 24-year-old made his major league debut earlier this season, before being optioned back to Triple-A Norfolk on July 1.

In Gibson’s major league stint, where he pitched in eight games and logged 33 innings, the right-hander struggled to a 7.36 ERA and 4.91 xFIP. While his strikeout numbers dipped from previous seasons in the minors, Gibson induced ground balls at an absurd 51.4% rate, a great sign for his development.

Before his promotion to Triple-A in 2025, Gibson routinely struck out 25%+ of the batters, and even reached 32.5% in Double-A. Since reaching Norfolk, though, the top prospect’s swing-and-miss numbers have declined, resulting in strikeout rates below 22% (and 18.6% in the majors).

This year in general has been a bit of a roller coaster for Gibson, with his Triple-A stint resulting in a 4.24 xFIP at this point. For context, he never recorded a mark higher than 3.80 in his previous three seasons.

Because they’re vying to be contenders and are in desperate need of starting pitching, the Orioles don’t have the leeway to give Gibson a long leash to further develop his arsenal at the major league level. And so, he becomes an interesting trade chip who could potentially flourish on a rebuilding Angels squad.

Why it Makes Sense

Although they’ve had their fair share of disappointments to this point, the Orioles’ core is brimming with talent. Several of the squad’s most important players are entering their prime, with plenty of top prospect capital in Double-A or higher and knocking on the door to the big leagues.

Even with Gunnar Henderson’s off year and Jackson Holliday struggling to find his footing at the major league level, the Orioles have managed to stay afloat in a wide-open American League landscape.

Although they don’t currently hold a playoff position, a push for acquiring Reid Detmers this deadline makes plenty of sense for the O’s. At three games under .500, Baltimore is still within 2.5 games of the final American League wild-card spot, and could very plausibly make a push for October.

Even if their playoff chances evaporate in the coming weeks, the fact that Detmers is under team control through 2029 should motivate Mike Elias to get a deal done nonetheless. The contention window in Baltimore is just blossoming, and adding Detmers to the mix would only strengthen their odds in each coming season.

Texas Rangers

The Package: RHP Caden Scarborough and OF Paxton Kling

Caden Scarborough (Just Baseball No. 57)

Height/Weight: 6’5″, 185 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 6th Round (171), 2023 (TEX) | ETA: 2027

One of the higher-potential pitching prospects in baseball, Caden Scarborough could be the headliner in a deal with the Angels. The 21-year-old was selected straight out of high school back in 2023 and has reached as far as High-A in his third professional season.

The right-hander returned to play this year after surgery to remove a malignant melanoma on his neck in February. Since then, he’s wasted no time ramping up, and has been business as usual.

Across 30 innings at High-A this season, Scarborough has struck out 29.8% of batters, while issuing a free pass just 8.3% of the time. He also ranks in the 81st percentile in whiff and 80th in chase rates, which are some of the most encouraging signs for a young pitcher.

Scarborough allows a lot of fly balls (38.1% this year, to be exact), which has inflated his xFIP to a 4.60 mark. That number isn’t reflective of his true skill, though, with evaluators and scouts much more focused on the swing-and-miss profile of his arsenal.

If the Angels were able to come away with Scarborough in a trade, they’d be adding a prospect viewed in a similar regard to Detmers at that point in his career. That swap would be perhaps the best-case scenario for Mozeliak and company.

Paxton Kling (45 FV; 6’0″/210)

Now in his first full professional season, Paxton Kling has shown flashes of potential at High-A. The 23-year-old was selected out of Penn State University last year and has already made a lasting impression in the Rangers organization.

This year, Kling has slashed .261/.400/.404, with a 117 wRC+ through 53 games. His absurd OBP stems from a 14.3% walk rate, which ranks in the 72nd percentile at High-A. Kling struggles with strikeouts, though, ranking in the 47th percentile with a 24.5% clip.

Kling possesses plus raw power, but only managed five homers to this point on the year. There’s plenty of room for more favorable batted ball results, as Kling only pulls the ball in the air a measly 14.2% of the time. His bat still has a long way to go, but the talent is there.

His best tool is his speed, which has allowed Kling to become an effective center fielder and significantly raises his floor as a defender. On the basepaths, the tool hasn’t been completely transferable, as the outfielder has only recorded a 69.5% success rate on steals (16/23).

Kling’s speed and field tools make him a promising prospect regardless of his bat, and there’s plenty of talent left to unlock on the front. His development is better suited for a rebuilding Angels franchise rather than a Rangers squad whose contention window is closing, making him one of the best fits between the two clubs.

Why it Makes Sense

The Rangers find themselves in the midst of an interesting stretch of baseball, having failed to make the playoffs in the two seasons since their 2023 World Series victory. Now, with two months left in the 2026 season, they sit atop a weak AL West division and are seemingly paving a path to October.

With eight above-average bats in their lineup already (plus a ridiculously unlucky Corey Seager), there’s not much more Texas can ask for from an offensive standpoint. The story is entirely different on the other side of the ball, though.

Despite strong underlying metrics, bona fide ace Nathan Eavoldi has largely underperformed this season, recording a 4.05 ERA. Add the fact that the MacKenzie Gore trade hasn’t worked in the Rangers’ favor, and Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker are still struggling to find their footing, and you’ve got a Texas-sized rotation problem.

With their aging core, the Rangers don’t have many seasons left in their current contention window. The time to go all in is now, and Reid Detmers is perhaps the best piece to go all in on. His services would fill, at least partially, one of the Rangers’ biggest holes.

Oh, and we all know what happened the last time the Rangers acquired an impact left-handed starter at the deadline, with the acquisition of Jordan Montgomery in 2023.

Chicago White Sox

The Package: RHP David Sandlin, RHP Drew Thorpe, and OF George Wolkow

David Sandlin

David Sandlin has spent his first half-season with the White Sox organization in 2026, after being acquired in a trade with the Red Sox this past offseason. The 25-year-old has since made his major league debut, before being optioned back to Triple-A last month.

The right-hander entered 2026 as one of the most exciting prospects in Chicago’s system, given his positive underlying data at High-A and Double-A. While Sandlin encountered brief difficulties in Triple-A, where he posted a 7.61 ERA (5.43 xFIP) through 23.2 innings pitched, it was the first major blemish on his resume in the pros.

This year, Sandlin has continued his struggles at Triple-A, where he’s posted a 2.37 ERA, but a dismal 5.03 xFIP. The gap can easily be explained by the right-hander’s strikeout rates, coming in at 20.5% (38th percentile) and walk rates, coming in at 12.4% (45th percentile). He found similar results during his brief stay in the majors (19.1 IP), in which he recorded a 6.05 ERA.

On the bright side, Sandlin has done a pretty good job limiting barrels and hard-hit baseballs, ranking in the 65th percentile or above in both categories. He’s also mitigated opponent average exit velocity well, keeping hitters to an 86.5 MPH mark.

For Sandlin, arsenal development will be pivotal if he’s to have a shot at finding success in the major leagues. Honing in on developing one or two standout pitches, rather than relying on six different offerings, will allow Sandlin to generate strikeouts at a higher rate. Hopefully, he’ll also command each offering better.

The low-pressure state of the Angels farm system would be a great place for Sandlin to continue his growth, as opposed to a pitching-desperate White Sox team in the midst of a playoff hunt.

Drew Thorpe

Originally drafted back in the second round of the 2022 MLB amateur draft by the Yankees, Drew Thorpe has already been the centerpiece of two blockbuster trades: the Yankees 2023 blockbuster for Juan Soto, and the Padres 2024 deal for Dylan Cease.

Now, on the verge of returning from April 2025 Tommy John surgery, the 26-year-old could find himself on the move again very soon.

To this point in his career, Thorpe has made just nine major league starts, where he’s recorded a 5.48 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched. His strikeout rate–just 13.2% in that span–was far lower than any mark he’d recorded in the minor leagues (the lowest being 25.0% in 2024), and was likely an indicator of Thorpe’s injury.

Speaking of minor league performance, Thorpe’s is among the most impressive we’ve seen from a starting pitcher in a long time and was the leading reason the right-hander has been so coveted in the past. During both of his Double-A stints (’23 and ’24), Thorpe finished his campaign with a 1.48 ERA or lower, while posting an xFIP below 3.36 in both cases.

With his strong minor league track record and promising five-pitch arsenal (changeup, four-seam, slider, cutter, and sweeper), it’s no surprise that any team would take a flyer on Thorpe even as he’s returning from injury.

George Wolkow

Outfielder George Wolkow, who was a seventh-round selection in the 2023 amateur draft, would supplement the pitcher-heavy deal. The 20-year-old is in the midst of his fourth professional season with the White Sox organization, and has spent the entirety of his 2026 campaign at High-A.

Wolkow’s bat still has plenty of room to grow, with his best tool presently being power. This season, the left-handed hitter is slashing .232/.317/.432, and has blasted 15 homers through 421 plate appearances. Even with favorable surface-level numbers, Wolkow is sporting a 91 wRC+, the lowest mark of his young career so far.

Perhaps the most concerning part of Wolkow’s approach is his plate discipline, which has led to a 31.8% strikeout rate (17th percentile). He’s chasing pitches outside the zone at a 39.6% clip (7th percentile), and swinging and missing 37.9% of the time.

Wolkow’s batted-ball data plays much better, with just 36.6% of his batted-ball events resulting in ground balls and a favorable 24.6% pull-air rate (82nd percentile).

There’s almost always risk with power-reliant bats, but many teams are willing to take it on given the high upside nature of those profiles. If the Angels believe Wolkow can develop his hit tool in the coming years, he’d be one of the most appealing trade candidates in the White Sox system.

Why it Makes Sense

This year marks the first time the White Sox are on pace to finish above .500 since 2021, which has placed them firmly in the mix of an uber-competitive playoff race. Their campaign has been marked by the emergence of several young stars, most notably Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, and Sam Antonacci.

While they sit atop their division at the moment, there’s no room for complacency in the South Side of Chicago, with the Guardians, Twins, and even the Tigers right on their tail.

To make a serious playoff push, Chris Getz will need to acquire at least one more starting pitcher to aid a struggling rotation. At the moment, only two of the White Sox starters are sporting a 4.00 xFIP or lower, with Noah Schultz (60 innings pitched) recording a 5.11 mark.

Given that Detmers is one of the best pitchers on the trade market this deadline, it’s no secret he’d be a great fit for this White Sox squad. If coupled with Davis Martin and Sean Burke, Detmers could headline a strong 1-2-3 punch for Chicago come October.

If it wasn’t clear already, 2026 has been a turning point for the franchise as a whole. Trading for Detmers would only strengthen the message that the White Sox are here to stay.