The Angels Set Their Rebuild Back With Quiet Trade Deadline

As the minutes ticked down toward the end of the 2024 MLB trade deadline on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Angels sent relief pitcher Luis Garcia to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for four minor leaguers. The move made sense as Garcia was due to be a free agent next season and the new additions to the prospect pool will each have a chance to impact the Angels in future seasons, bringing new talent to a franchise in desperate need of it.

However, as much logic as can be applied to that transaction from the Angels’ point of view, it can be argued that not much else on Tuesday made much sense.

When the trade deadline passed, the Angels still had Luis Rengifo, Tyler Anderson, Taylor Ward, and other potential swap pieces as a part of the roster. The reason was simple, Angels general manager Perry Minasian told reporters in Anaheim.

Angels GM Speaks on Quiet Deadline

“We took a look at what was presented and just what was presented that we actually did made sense for us,” Minasian said. “Obviously that was the route we went. We have some talented players. I understand the questions. The players that have two years left to have one year left, they’re very talented players. And very productive players. With that being said, in general it had to make sense. There had to be a certain value coming back. You have to line up. That’s not easy. People like different things. Sometimes you line up with different teams, like we did with Philadelphia, and sometimes you don’t.”

That reference to Philadelphia was a nod to the Angels trading another reliever, Carlos Estevez, to the Phillies earlier in the week. Again, Estevez fit the perfect scenario — a wanted commodity who was a free agent at the end of the season. A pair of top 10 pitching prospects came back to Anaheim from the Phillies, a solid return haul that could well pay dividends in the future.

However, that’s likely the far future. It’s the near future that Minasian seems to be more concerned with at the moment, and that is one of the reasons why Anderson and Rengifo (free agents in 2026) and Ward (a free agent in 2027) are still with the Halos.

Another? Well, their values reportedly weren’t as high as Minasian had hoped (or planned).

Checked with two other execs about what the Angels didn't do today. Both agreed that Anderson had very little value. One said that Rengifo and Ward had some value, but clearly not as much as Minasian had hoped.

— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) July 31, 2024

Still Aiming for Contention

In the eyes of Minasian (and the voice of manager Ron Washington), there is indeed a thought that the Angels could compete in the next season or two for a postseason spot.

“We probably have a busy winter trying to put some pieces in place to help,” Washington said on Tuesday. “The young kids are growing and I think they’ll be ready to really, really compete going into next year.”

So, rather than tear completely down, the Angels chose to rip certain pieces away and leave the foundation intact. It’s a bold strategy, Cotton, and Angels fans are very ready to see if it will indeed pay off.

The oft-injured duo of Anthony Rendon and Mike Trout are under contract next season (and beyond) to provide the known names. Logan O’Hoppe, Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel are among the young players who have gained valuable playing experience this year. Those are the positives. However, there will still need to be plenty of moves made this offseason if the Angels are to truly compete for a spot in the October bracket.

Closing Thoughts

As it stands now, it is clear that Angels leadership believes there is hope for the near future. However, as aggressive as the Halos were before and at last season’s trade deadline as buyers (with disastrous consequences), maybe it shouldn’t be a complete surprise the franchise would back away from being too adventurous (as sellers) this year.

Rather than go for a home run, the Angels chose to focus on a couple of solid singles in their trade deadline at-bat this year.

In the eyes of the fans, the same fans who have watched the franchise stumble at key decision points in the past, Tuesday’s lone trade was met with immediate asking of what was coming next. When nothing came, those supporters were left with the realization that the hoped-for rebuild simply wasn’t coming, another disappointment in what has been a string of them lately in Southern California.