LA Angels: Who stays and who goes when Trout, Rendon and Upton return

Moving on to the pitchers, whether or not any of them get moved for Trout and the others is heavily dependent on how the team performs over the next week or so.

The status of the LA Angels playoff hopes will determine what happens to these pitchers.

Starting with Iglesias, he is arguably the Angels’ best reliever. However, if the team is out of the playoff race by July 30, it’s almost a given that he will be traded, thus freeing up a roster spot right then and there.

On the other hand, if the team surges to close out July, his inclusion on this list will be moot.

As for the other expendable relievers, I think it’s safe to say that most Angels fans will be elated to see either Claudio or Guerra get DFA’d.

More so than any other relievers on the team, these two have struggled the most out of the bullpen (and that’s saying a lot).

The benefit of cutting one (or both) of them is that it would give the Angels the option of either keeping an extra position player and running with a five-man bench, or going out and getting a quality reliever to take their place.

Similarly, the status of Bundy and Quintana is pretty much the same as with Claudio and Guerra. The failed starters turned relievers have, to put it bluntly, been deadweight for most of this season.

With their respective trade values at virtually zero, flat out cutting them from the team may be the best course of action.

Again, though, what the Angels do with these four will be dependent on the situation at the trade deadline.

If the Halos are still competitive and aim to be buyers, there’s a good chance that at least of couple of these guys will be cut sooner rather than later, regardless of Trout, Rendon and Upton returning.

However, if the Halos are out of the hunt, then there really isn’t any more harm to be done in keeping these four once Trout and the others are added.

Even in that nightmare scenario, I doubt anyone would be too broken up over sending down Mayfield and Lagares, and the team wouldn’t exactly have much need for a premium closer like Iglesias anymore either.