The Los Angeles Angels are in a bit of a tricky spot as the MLB Trade Deadline approaches. By Thursday, July 31, the Angels need to figure out if they are going to be buyers — adding to a roster that has been surprisingly competitive this season — or sellers, or neither.
As of Wednesday morning, the Angels are 49-52. They are only four games out of the final Wild Card spot in the American League — currently occupied by the Boston Red Sox — but must leapfrog four teams just to have a chance of knocking them off. History would say that the Angels should sell, as they are unlikely to bridge that gap.
But that has never been the Angels M.O., and their competitive nature this year could compel them to try and buy in hopes of landing that playoff spot, or at the very least building real momentum for 2026. Multiple Angels players, from Kenley Jansen to Taylor Ward to Mike Trout, have echoed a similar sentiment, believing in this year’s club, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
“I came here with one goal in mind, just trying to help this organization to turn it back to a winning organization,” Jansen said. “We’ve got a great group of guys around here, and I think we can do it. We can sneak in as a Wild Card. You never know what can happen the next [63] games. So we just got to keep coming with this energy when we play.”
“I just think we just need to go out there and just focus on winning every ballgame,” Ward said. “I think that’s what we’ve been doing all year. Just keep that going. At least offensively — doing what we’re doing. It’s been awesome to be a part of. And I think as long the boys continue to do what they’re doing and pass the baton, I think we will be in a good spot.”
“You’ve seen what we’re capable of doing,” Trout said. “We’ve had some great stretches in the last few weeks. We’ve got to get off to a hot second half. We’ve got to do the little things right: Play solid defense, and when we have runners on base, we’ve got to do our job.”
That type of confidence from the players has been missing in recent years, which could give general manager Perry Minasian and owner Arte Moreno all the ammunition they need to add to the roster. If they do, they are sorely in need of pitching across the board. To be genuinely competitive this year, they would need 3-5 arms added between the rotation and the bullpen.
But this is one of the most hopeful lineups of the Angels recent woeful era, and they have enough there to believe that if they added some arms, they could make that run and compete in October for the first time in a decade.
Angels top players if they choose to sell
If the Angels lose some games between now and July 31, and Minasian ultimately decides to push the chips to next season, Jansen and Ward are obvious targets to be dealt. Reid Detmers and Jorge Soler, as well as Tyler Anderson, could also be added to this list.
