Angels fans ready to say goodbye to slumping starter at MLB trade deadline

The Angels have remarkably gone the entire 2025 season with just five starters, but it's the bullpen that has been outshining them the past two months. Tyler Anderson said it himself after his last start against Boston: “Obviously as a starter, you want to go deeper into games there, but man, our bullpen has just been unbelievable, so kudos to those guys for coming in, shutting it down and keeping it there.”

Héctor Neris made his Angels debut on May 6th and Connor Brogdon on the 7th, and since then the eight current members of the bullpen (Jansen, Detmers, Strickland, Zeferjahn, Burke, Bachman, Néris and Brogdon) combined have a 3.48 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 8.80 K/9 and an elite 7.30 H/9. In that span, those eight relievers' numbers are good for a top-ten ERA and a top-six H/9 in baseball. They have a 14-5 record as well.

The Angels' lights out bullpen caused Ray Montgomery to lift Anderson after 4.2 innings on Tuesday, yet it was somehow the 35-year-old's best start of the month. Despite how cohesive the Angels are, it would be malpractice to not test the market to see what kind of prospects they could get back for T.A.

Angels fans ready to say goodbye to slumping starter at MLB trade deadline

In his five starts this month, Anderson has yet to turn in a quality one. In June, he has a 6.93 ERA, 4.54 FIP, 12.41 H/9, 1.74 WHIP. Anderson has great K:BB numbers but he is no longer able to dance around the gargantuan hit totals from opposing teams. He has such a unique delivery and style, but it can kind of wear thin on fans when his herky-jerky attack is not working.

The Angels can trade Anderson whether or not they view themselves as "buyers" or "sellers" at the trade deadline. He is on an expiring contract, and should still have value around the league despite the down-turn in performance. Per ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan comprehensive list of potential trade candidates, they ranked Anderson as the 35th most valuable asset out of the 50. Trading the southpaw would not be phoning in the season with the way he's going, and they could get their farm system a much needed talent infusion.

The former All-Star does not have a ton of pitchers who are nipping at his heels. His spot in the rotation feels secure, despite how tough he's been (Jack Kochanowicz has also been very bad in June). Caden Dana and George Klassen are just not ready. Sam Aldegheri could work, he looked pretty solid in his big league outing earlier this month, and it would feel poetic for the crafty lefty to take Anderson's spot on the roster. There is not a perfect replacement, but any replacement could theoretically do what Anderson has lately.

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