4 Angels trade partners that could make moving Reid Detmers absolutely worth it

The Los Angeles Angels have already kicked off their trade deadline, announcing themselves as sellers by sending Logan O'Hoppe and Chase Silseth to the Texas Rangers in a pretty strange trade. The return, 19-year-old infielder Angel Arredondo, might not be super exciting, but this is hopefully just the appetizer for what will be a delicious main course.

What this does mean is that the Angels are willing to trade controllable players for prospects. With that, Reid Detmers comes front and center. Detmers is arguably Los Angeles's best trade chip, though the validity of that arguably may hinge on their desire to deal Zach Neto.

The need for starting pitching is always great this time of year, and with two additional years of team control beyond this season, there are some who believe that Detmers could be even more valuable than Tarik Skubal.

With that said, not any old contender with a need in the rotation will line up as a good trade partner. The Halos need to find a club with the requisite desperation, but also high-end assets, to part with a game-changing package for the 27-year-old southpaw. A few teams stick out as great matches.

Four teams with combination of need and assets to give the Angels exactly what they need for Reid Detmers

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are middle of the pack in starters' ERA, coming in at 4.31. Their rotation ranks near the bottom in strikeout rate, coming in 23rd with a 20.2% mark. They also have several starters in the final year of their contracts, such as Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and David Peterson. Detmers, therefore, checks a lot of boxes for them.

Chicago also has a lot of good young talent to offer up. We've talked about Owen Ayers, their No. 3 prospect, being a perfect fit, and now, with O'Hoppe out of the way, a deal including him makes even more sense. Other interesting youngsters they could offer up are outfielder Kane Kepley and starter Jaxon Wiggins, No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, on their top 30. The position-versatile Pedro Ramirez, who is hitting .315/.367/.461 over 99 plate appearances since being called up, could be in play, too.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays are expected to be in the mix for Skubal, but if they miss out, Detmers could be a great fallback option for them. In fact, his team control might make losing prospects an even better fit for the Rays, who need another high-end starter to protect the fragility of horses like Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen.

Los Angeles can ask for outfielder Theo Gillen, the league's ninth-best prospect, but might need to settle for deciding between catchers Nathan Flewelling and Caden Bodine, as well as starter Brody Hopkins. Tampa always has deep farm systems, so it should be easy to find a match.

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves have suffered a couple of serious injuries to their starting rotation, with Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenback both on the IL, among other losses throughout the season. They've been listed by Buster Olney of ESPN as one of the most desperate teams in the league, with starting pitching as their primary need. The injury history with both Spencers makes it so that a controllable arm would be their preference, especially as Chris Sale ages (though he hasn't slowed down yet).

Atlanta has a number of prospects and youngsters who could interest the Halos, including lefty starter Cam Caminiti, outfielder Eric Hartman, and infielder Tate Southisene. JR Ritchie, another starter who has gotten some big league run this season, could also be in play.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the favorites to land Tarik Skubal, but if they miss, Detmers could be a nice fallback option. Originally, it seemed that they would be in the market for only Skubal as something of a luxury addition, but the news that Shohei Ohtani is suffering from nagging injuries to both his left knee and right biceps puts his timeline to return to the mound in serious doubt. That could change their calculus from wanting to add Skubal to wanting to add a starter.

The Angels' crosstown rival has a deep and robust farm system for the Angels to pluck from, which is heavy on outfielders. Josue Depaula, Zyhir Hope, and Mike Sirota would all be dream acquisitions, but James Tibbs III and Charles Davalan would be nice to have as well. On the pitching side, nabbing rising star Christian Zazueta would also be ideal.

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