LA Angels: Five untouchable players in trade talks

Untouchable Angels in trade talks: Jo Adell

Earlier this winter, back before COVID-19 shut down all of baseball, there were some trade discussions (according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com) with the Cleveland Indians in regards to bringing Mike Clevinger back to the Angels organization. The requested return of in that trade was rumored to be uber-prospect Jo Adell.

Needless to say, it was a non-starter.

While the Angels would have loved to bring Clevinger back and reverse the ill-advised deal for Vinnie Pestano, it would have come at a significantly higher cost for a top-of-the-rotation arm than they were willing to pay. While a team’s top prospect is generally the go-to ask for an ace-caliber arm with two years of control left, it was a non-starter for the Angels in this case.

Adell enters the 2020 season as one of the game’s top prospects, ranking within the top ten from all of the major publications (Baseball America – #3, MLB.com – #6, Baseball Prospectus – #2). The hype is entirely justified as well.

After being drafted 10th overall in the 2017 MLB Draft, Adell has sky-rocketed through the Angels system, culminating with his first call-up to Triple-A in 2019 and a successful turn in the Arizona Fall League. In three minor league systems, he’s hit .298/.361/.518 with 35 home runs and 143 RBI. The thought is that the 21-year-old will grow into more power as he matures, making him an ideal prospect as a corner outfielder to slot in beside Trout.

Trading prospects is always a source of debate, but in a weak system that finally has a can’t miss option, the Angels are wise to hold on here and see what they have. Jo Adell is about as close to the perfect prospect that their system has missed for a few years now, and it would be a shame to move him when he is on the cusp on making his big league debut and making an impact on the Angels for years to come.