Angels’ 2026 season may hinge on this offseason trade working out in their favor

The Los Angeles Angels have had an active offseason, but activity doesn't always mean success. Odds are that the Angels won't be good in 2026, and while some of the moves that Perry Minasian and Co. have made this winter were creative gambles, none of them will matter if their biggest gamble of the offseason doesn't pay off.

The Angels' 2026 season will be dependent on how the Grayson Rodriguez for Taylor Ward trade ages. In a vacuum, the move makes a ton of sense for the Angels. They cleared $12 million from their books by trading Ward, and while oft-injured, Rodriguez was once an ascending top-of-the-rotation pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles.

Angels are betting big on a trade that might shape their 2026 future

Had the Angels had another veteran starting pitcher in the mix, that likely would have changed the perception of this deal.

Right now, it's one of the most volatile moves that was made this offseason. Spring training starts this week, and it's a reminder of the inherent risk the Angels took when trading for Rodriguez. Rodriguez suffered a lat injury at the end of spring training last year with the Orioles that wound up setting the stage for the 26-year-old starting pitcher missing the entire season.

Rodriguez hasn't pitched in a game of consequence since the summer of 2024, and if the Angels' season is going to be successful, that trend can't continue. At this juncture of the offseason, Rodriguez is the only swing the Angels took to address their need in the starting rotation. If he is healthy and flashes signs of being the pitcher he once was, that would be a tremendous victory for the Angels' front office.

The success of the trade can't stop there. In parting with Ward, the Angels left a massive void in the middle of their starting lineup. The offense will also need to find improvement in Ward's absence. Trading for Josh Lowe was the creative attempt for the Angels to check that box, but he isn't a sure thing. Perhaps Nolan Schanuel takes a step forward, or Nelson Rada provides an immediate impact. The point is the Angels have to find offensive success somewhere.

If that happens, along with Rodriguez becoming a dude again, then perhaps the Angels turn heads in 2026.