3 Angels who could be on the move should they sign a big free agent slugger

If reports are to be believed, the Angels are hot and heavy in their pursuit of the top free-agent bats remaining on the market with outfielder (and occasional first baseman)Anthony Santander seeming more likely to land with the Halos on their wish list. Santander or Pete Alonso would provide the club with the much-needed power bat they desire, unfortunately, neither one solves a direct need in the infield. Los Angeles needs help at either second or third base, depending on where you prefer to slot Luis Rengifo, and neither Santander nor Alonso can help there.

Instead, what they will do is cause a logjam at first base and/or the outfield initiating a game of musical chairs that will leave a capable option without a position when the music stops. Mike Trout, Taylor Ward, Jorge Soler, Mickey Moniak, and Jo Adell are your presumptive outfield starters. Nolan Schanuel is the incumbent first baseman, though he could shift to the outfield in order to accommodate Alonso at first. Niko Kavadas and Ryan Noda are options as well.

There are valid reasons why all of the incumbents deserve regular at-bats, but an addition of this magnitude, while necessary, will leave one without a home while still leaving a sizeable hole in the infield. The only solution would be to get creative with a trade.

The Angels could trade Jo Adell, but they shouldn't

At one point in time, Adell was one of the top prospects in baseball and could have been the centerpiece of a trade for a bonafide superstar. Now, he's the outfielder most fans would be willing to part with first.

It doesn't make sense to trade Adell though. Sure, replacing his bat in the lineup with Santander (or Alonso by proxy) would provide the biggest boost to the offense. If the ultimate goal is to tie one move into another in order to yield the most improvement Adell isn't the player who should be on the move.

While he's cheap and under team control through 2027, his value is at a low point. His improvement after a midseason adjustment last season could intrigue a team into believing he is finally tapping into his immense potential, but he only put together 125 plate appearances of improved production until an oblique injury prematurely ended his season in September.

Adell needs to prove his adjustments stick and that he can stay healthy to have real value on the trade market. Until that happens, he holds more value to the Halos than any other team, and for that reason, he should stay put.