The Los Angeles Angels know that a Luis Rengifo trade would signal the beginning of a much-needed rebuild. As an organization, the Angels have been below average for nearly a decade. Plus, the farm system is the worst in baseball. Yet, it can be tough to tell your fans that you need to start over, especially when you have Mike Trout on your team (or at least your injured list). While GM Perry Minasian isn’t solely to blame for this catastrophe, it will likely cost him his job this offseason. Whatever way you look at it, the Angels should trade every valuable asset not on a rookie deal.
A Luis Rengifo trade would fit perfectly with dealing away the Angels’ other trade chips. Tyler Anderson, Taylor Ward, and Carlos Estévez are all valuable trade options for contending teams. Anderson, Ward, and Rengifo are all controlled for more than this season. Anderson’s many trade possibilities are due to his excellent numbers in 2024. A Taylor Ward trade could net even better prospects given that he is team-controlled through the 2026 season. The closer trade market for Estévez will certainly be competitive, even though he is merely a rental. Rengifo should cost two to three prospects because he, like Ward, is controlled through 2026. It’s important that the Angels don’t get caught up in getting MLB-ready prospects in return and instead maximize Rengifo’s trade value.
Luis Rengifo Trade Rumors
The Angels almost traded Luis Rengifo to the Dodgers in early 2020, before the trade fell through due to owner Arte Moreno. Surprisingly, this might work out better for the Angels. Since the start of 2022, Rengifo’s 113 wRC+ is tied for fourth among second basemen. Or, if a team uses him at third base, he would rank twelfth. More importantly, his numbers have improved every season. Rengifo is having his best year at the plate this season. His 127 OPS+ is up 16 points from 2023, which was nine points better than 2022. With this positive trajectory, some in the organization might prefer to keep Rengifo, but given the Angels’ endless list of needs, they should instead look to move him.
Luis Rengifo is going to make a contending team VERY happy this month pic.twitter.com/iAJbMo9UIf
— MLB Deadline News (@MLBDeadlineNews) July 2, 2024
Contending Teams in the Luis Rengifo Sweepstakes
Division Leaders Who Need an Infield Bat
Los Angeles Dodgers: Big Need at 2B
Gavin Lux has posted a .571 OPS in 2024 after missing last season with an injury. His career OPS is just .684, so it’s about time the Dodgers look to upgrade at the keystone. Internally, the Dodgers could look to their #21 prospect, Trey Sweeney, but he’s likely to remain at shortstop moving forward and is hardly setting Triple-A on fire with his bat. Miguel Rojas is hitting better than ever, but the 35-year-old is starting at shortstop since Mookie Betts‘ injury and probably should start when Betts returns.
New York Yankees: 2B and 3B are Lineup Holes
Gleyber Torres has a .652 OPS as the Yanks’ starting second baseman. Torres is struggling during his contract year, as he’ll be a free agent after the season. Oswaldo Cabrera has a .623 OPS as the starting third baseman. Despite this, the Yankees are second in baseball in runs per game. But if they want to leapfrog the number one scoring team, the Baltimore Orioles, they’ll have to improve their offense at these two positions. Simply put, the Yankees have an infield problem that Rengifo can help solve.
Seattle Mariners: Second Base has Produced Nothing
Second baseman Jorge Polanco has a .583 OPS in 2024. Worse, he is slated to earn a $12 million salary in 2025 with a $750k buyout that the team will certainly take. Yet, the Mariners’ offensive problems aren’t all on Polanco’s shoulders. The team has a .663 OPS as a whole. However, the Angels have not traded with the Mariners since ex-Angels GM Jerry Dipoto took over baseball operations in Seattle. Until it happens, the assumption should be they won’t work together on a Luis Rengifo trade.
Wild Card Contenders Who Need Infield Reinforcements
Boston Red Sox: Valdéz is Not the Answer at 2B
Second baseman Enmanuel Valdéz has produced little on either side of the ball for the Red Sox. The 25-year-old Dominican has a .665 OPS at the plate while playing less-than-stellar defense. The team could look to call up the MLB’s #7 prospect, since shortstop Marcelo Mayer is excelling in Double-A, and move current shortstop David Hamilton to second base. If they decide they need proven firepower, Rengifo is a definite upgrade.
New York Mets: The Jeff McNeil Debacle
Jeff McNeil signed his extension with the Mets following a 2022 season where he won the NL batting title. Unfortunately, he’s posted a .671 OPS over the last two seasons, including a depressing .580 OPS this season. Even worse, the Mets are on the hook for $15.75 million each of the next three seasons with a $2 million buyout in 2027. McNeil’s contract makes it hard to imagine that the Mets would make a trade for Rengifo. Given their talent at other positions Rengifo plays, and the possibility of putting Brett Baty at second, it seems unlikely they’ll release McNeil given his contract.
Kansas City Royals: The Hot Corner is Ice Cold
The Kansas City Royals could use a Luis Rengifo trade to replace struggling third baseman Maikel Garcia. The 24-year Venezuelan has a .621 OPS and has yet to produce offensively at the big-league level. Rengifo has spent the majority of his time in the field playing third base this season due to Anthony Rendon‘s absence. He would give an immediate boost to the Kansas City offense, whose .709 OPS is only slightly above the .704 league average.
Luis Rengifo Trade Predictions
A couple of trades from last year are perfect starting points for the Angels to decide on Rengifo’s trade value. The Miami Marlins got 3B Jake Burger from the Chicago White Sox, but it cost them their #4 ranked prospect, LHP Jake Eder, to do so. Burger was slashing .214/.279/.527/.806 with 25 home runs. Plus, he is controllable through the 2028 season. The other trade that the Angels should look at is between the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals. The Cubs acquired 3B Jeimer Candelario, who would be a free agent at season’s end, for the Nationals #14 and #16 prospects. A Luis Rengifo trade should surpass both of those returns for the Angels.
Los Angeles Dodgers
LA is the most obvious destination for a Luis Rengifo trade. It’s unclear if owner Arte Moreno will block Rengifo from going to the Dodgers again, but Andrew Freidman and the Dodgers front office know that Gavin Lux isn’t the answer at second base moving forward. Rengifo’s versatility and team-controllable years will cost the Dodgers farm talent but they always seem to reload.
Dodgers get 2B/3B Luis Rengifo
Angels get C Diego Cartaya (LAD #7 prospect), RHP Payton Martin (LAD #9), OF Eduardo Quintero (LAD #19)
New York Yankees
The combination of 2B Gleyber Torres and 3B Oswaldo Cabrera isn’t going to get it done in the Bronx. With Torres hitting free agency after the season, the time to find a new second baseman is now. A Luis Rengifo trade sets them up better for 2024 and beyond.
Yankees get 2B/3B Luis Rengifo
Angels get OF Everson Pereira (NYY #5 prospect), C/1B Ben Rice (NYY #12), RHP Clayton Beeter (NYY #13)
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox are just half a game back of the Royals for the final AL Wild Card spot. A Luis Rengifo trade goes a long way in improving their chances of catching them and maybe even the Minnesota Twins. Enmanuel Valdez is not the answer, and the longer the Sox wait, the tougher it’s going to be to find their way into the playoffs.
Red Sox get 2B/3B Luis Rengifo
Angels get SS Yoeilin Cespedes (BOS #7), RHP Lewis Perales (BOS #9), RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (BOS #20)
Kansas City Royals
The Royals are in roughly the same position as the Red Sox. Both teams are fighting for a heavily-contested Wild Card spot. If the Royals want to survive the next three months and make it into the postseason, Maikel Garcia is going to have to be replaced.
Royals get 2B/3B Luis Rengifo
Angels get RHP Ben Kudrna (KC #3 prospect), C Carter Jensen (KC #10), 2B/OF Javier Vaz (KC #15)
Photo Credit: © Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
