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.

The Angels have options with Nolan Schanuel

Nolan Schanuel is likely only to be impacted should the Halos opt for Alonso over Santander, which seems to be the least likely outcome. However, if the name of the game is improvement, Schanuel could be on the move with Santander arriving in LA should the team decide to make the switch-hitting slugger the primary first baseman. Again, it's not a likely outcome, but it's possible.

Schanuel will be only 23 come opening day and with only one full season of big league experience, the Angels could send him down to the minors. While that is feasible, it seems unlikely given his rush to the big leagues since being drafted in the first round in 2023. MLB insider Jon Heyman has suggested Schanuel could move to left field should Alonso land with the Halos, which would further cement their belief in the unique youngster.

Or they could look to the trade market and capitalize on the market for a pre-arb player. In that case, they might be able to find a trade partner willing to swap a veteran infielder or pitcher for a player who is just starting his pro-ball journey.

The divergence between Schanuel's cost-effectiveness, potential, and his ability to fill a traditional role makes his trade value murky, and it's likely he's worth more to the Angels than a team on the trade market.

The Angels would get the most bang for their buck by trading Taylor Ward

Trade rumors have surrounded Ward, 31, since last year's trade deadline, and should only kick up again if the Angels were to create a redundancy in the outfield by signing either Santander or Alonso.

On the surface, Ward, who is under team control through the end of the 2026 season and is projected to make $8.75 million in arbitration holds more present-day value to the club than either Adell or Schanuel.

Owner of a career 111 wRC+, he possesses 20-25 home run pop, decent on-base skills, and a slightly above average glove in left as he posted 3 outs above average in 2024. While those aren't superstar-caliber numbers, they are solid and well-rounded enough to have value to many teams looking for an outfield bat on a reasonable contract.

Given the relative appeal of Ward compared to Adell and Schanuel, the Angels could dangle him for a variety of different things that would help the team. They could swap him for a comparable infielder to shore up second or third base. They could flip him for pitching to either fill out the rotation or the bullpen. Or lastly, they could use him to acquire a prospect that would help offset the loss of the draft pick they'd have to surrender to sign Santander or Alonso given both free agents rejected qualifying offers.

Simply put, moving Ward after making a splash signing would be the best way to string moves together to further improve the team in 2025, or if they go the prospect route, for the future.

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