5 trade targets who would be great for the Angels if they weren’t on teams that hated them

There aren’t a ton of teams that know they’re selling at this year’s MLB trade deadline, but the Angels are one of them. They’re staring down the barrel of an 11th straight losing season, they’ve fired their general manager, and they have John Mozeliak running things on an interim basis. The job between now and August 3 is to trade any pending free agents they can and to make decisions on players like Reid Detmers, Jose Soriano, and Jo Adell. 

But hey, just because a team is selling doesn’t mean they can’t pick up some talent too. The Angels could use some talent in their outfield, particularly someone who can make a little better contact (though they don't all make great contact, beggars can't be choosers). Yes, they want young players, but good players are the goal here to help them win in the near future, with Mike Trout, one more (or just one) time.

Below are five players who are likely available in some capacity because they’re squeezed out of playing time, who would fix a real hole. The catch is they all play for division rivals or the Dodgers, and none of those teams want to help the Angels.

These are the trade candidates that would be great for the Angels if they didn't play for rivals

Let’s start with the Dodgers, who have the deepest outfield pipeline in baseball, but have zero incentive to thin it out for a rival. Zyhir Hope is MLB Pipeline’s 19th-best prospect and number three in the Dodgers system behind Josue De Paula. He’s currently working his way through the system in AA and thriving, but he’s behind Kyle Tucker, Teoscar Hernandez, and Andy Pages, along with many prospects who would slide right into his spot in the rankings.

The Angels and Astros aren’t exactly the best of friends, dating back to benches-clearing brawls and something to do with trash cans that made Houston public enemy number one. But Brice Matthews still exists, and he might be running out of rope with the Astros but could be given a real opportunity in Anaheim. A dynamic athlete with big exit velocities could be an answer.

Seattle is a different fit. The Angels can’t really pry Lazaro Montes away, and the Mariners would probably rather get something that fits their needs better than Detmers or even Zach Neto if the Angels wanted to move him. But the Mariners do have a need for bullpen help and maybe Kirby Yates can fit that for them after a dart throw this winter..It would be a smaller deal for someone who wouldn’t help the Angels any time soon, but Yorger Bautista fits the bill of a lottery ticket who could hit big.

The Rangers offer a similar story but with a different name. They have Hector Osorio in high-A and putting up big numbers. He’s an intriguing power-speed combination who won’t be in the big leagues anytime soon, but he could be part of a package if the Angels were willing to trade Soriano.

That brings us to the Athletics and Carlos Cortes. He had a heck of a debut last season for them, but didn’t walk at all. This season, he’s gotten back to more of what he did in the minors with fewer strikeouts and more walks. He’s still being buoyed by an incredible start, and he’s not young, by any stretch, but his ability to make contact would be a welcome sight in this Angels lineup.

Other than Hope and maybe one of the lottery tickets, this isn’t a plan to really get things going in the right direction, but they don’t hurt. The Angels' stated need for cost-controlled position players, specifically outfielders, lines up pretty well with four division rivals and the Dodgers. But those teams aren’t really excited to help out a rebuild in Anaheim.

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