The Angels are having another tough open to the season here in 2024. With Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon both going down with injuries, the Angels will likely finish below .500 for the 9th year in a row. With all that said, here are some potential early trades the Angels could consider.
Five Potential Trades the Angels Should Consider
Tyler Anderson
Tyler Anderson, 34, is having an amazing start to his 2024 campaign. Through his first six games of the season, Anderson has had a stellar 2.23 ERA to go along with an 18.5% strikeout rate, and 8% walk rate. Both of these numbers are right in line with his career norms, so don’t expect much regression in that aspect either. The give and take with that though, is a lot of his production is via batted ball luck. So far this season, he’s been limiting batters to a .194 BABIP, which is probably unsustainable.
The projections say that Anderson is likely going to be about a league-average pitcher the rest of the way, but, it wouldn’t be totally surprising if he’s closer to his peak 2022 form, rather than what he was in 2023. In either case, Anderson will offer some value to teams with him being under team control for another season at a fairly reasonable price tag of $13 million.
Carlos Estévez
Carlos Estévez, 31, isn’t having the best start to his season, but should still bring solid value back to the Angels if traded. So far in 2024, Estévez has gotten into nine games and recorded five saves. To go along with that, he has an unsightly 6.23 ERA. The good news is he’s been pretty unlucky. As of writing, Estévez has a 29.4% strikeout rate, which is the highest in his career. On top of that, he’s yet to walk a batter. While that obviously won’t be sustainable at all, it is somewhat supported by the fact batters are chasing his pitches at the highest rate of his career, sitting at an even 37%.
For the team that would be picking up Estévez, they’d only guarantee his services for this year, as he’s set to hit the open market at the end of the 2024 season. However, they’d be getting a fairly reliable closer at a reasonable price point.
Brandon Drury
Brandon Drury, 31 isn’t having a good season so far. There’s no way to sugarcoat that. With that said, there is still some hope that his bat will turn around. Drury as of writing has a slash line of .176/.245/.235. While it’s true that having an on-base percentage higher than the slugging is a bad sign, there is a little optimism to be had here. Drury is carrying a 19.1% strikeout rate, the lowest since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and the lowest since he became a regular back in 2016. He’s also still hitting the ball as hard as he normally would, with exit velocities within a mile of normal.
Brandon Drury’s first homer of the season! #RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/CgwDRspedp
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 14, 2024
Much like Estévez, Drury will be a free agent at the end of the year, but the Angels should be able to get something in return if Drury’s baseline stats start to come back to normal.
Adam Cimber
Adam Cimber, 33, is having something of a return to form this year. 2023 was by far the worst year of Cimber’s career, but it thankfully seems to be a blip on the radar rather than the norm. He’s gotten into 14 games in 2024, and is carrying a 3.14 ERA, supported by a 3.62 FIP, and 1.047 WHIP. Cimber isn’t one of those players that will blow a team away, but he is consistent. From 2018-2022, Cimber has had an average ERA of 3.20, with a FIP of 3.56.
If Cimber continues to produce at a value higher than the league average, then there wouldn’t be a reason for a team not to pick him up as a rental, especially with all the pitching injuries in 2024.
Jo Adell
Jo Adell, 25 is finally starting to break out and play like the superstar that many touted him to be when he was a top prospect. With Mike Trout injured, Adell found himself with everyday playing time for the first time in his career. He is holding up his side of the deal, slashing a robust .273/.319/.530 in 2024. So the question then becomes, why trade him? The Angels have two roads here: either they trade him or extend him. Trading him at the peak of his value might net back a few very good prospects. Extending him might mean he is an anchor point to the next competitive Angels squad. But either way, the Angels need to make a decision here. They cannot merely let him walk, as they did with Shohei Ohtani.
If the Angels do trade him, they’d be sure to bring back quite the haul. As mentioned before, he’s not a free agent for many years to come and is currently just making the league minimum. Steamer projects Adell to come back down to earth a little bit in terms of average, but thinks the power is real.
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