Angels have clear ace in Reid Detmers but uncertainty clouds the payoff

When the Los Angeles Angels opted to trade José Soriano at the deadline, they effectively handed the keys to the top of the rotation to Reid Detmers. They reportedly had a deal in place for him as well with the Chicago Cubs, but both sides pivoted to reliever Ryan Zeferjahn instead, keeping the southpaw in Anaheim for at least another half season.

As the unquestioned ace of the Halos, Detmers has shined, pitching to a 1.50 ERA and 2.67 FIP over four starts since the trade deadline. He's striking out hitters at an enormous 30% clip while issuing free passes at about one-fifth of that rate, all while holding batters to a scant .179 average. In simpler terms: He's become a pitcher who is good at everything.

All that success has led to a movement within the fanbase that calls for the Angels to re-sign their No. 1 starter, regardless of the cost. And while that would certainly be a laudable path for the organization to take, it just doesn't align with their current plans for the future.

A Reid Detmers extension might be the right move at the wrong time for Angels

There's a laundry list of factors working against a Detmers extension, but let's start with the most obvious one: the uncertainty surrounding the Angels' decision-making personnel. Even though John Mozeliak has done a commendable job as the interim general manager in Perry Minasian's stead, we still don't know if he wants the long-term job or if the ownership group will offer it to him.

We also have to consider that the Angels won't have carte blanche access to whichever executive they want if they do opt to replace Mozeliak; there's bound to be competition from other teams in the league, including the Houston Astros who just dismissed Dana Brown. And, with all due respect to Detmers, Mike Trout, and Zach Neto, there's not a lot in place that's going to attract the best minds to Anaheim after so many years of futility.

Even if they do get their preferred target, though, there's a lockout that everyone is going to have to contend with in a few months. Giving Detmers long-term money now, just before the economics of the sport invariably change forever, might not be the best piece of business, even if buys a new braintrust some goodwill with the fanbase.

Likewise, we all need to admit that the Angels aren't exactly close to contention. Thanks to Mozeliak's aggressive nature, they did finally commit to a rebuild at the deadline, but there's still a ways to go. Instead of giving him a ton of money to patiently wait around until the organization finally puts a winning product on the field, why not trade him for a timeline accelerant? As The Athletic puts it in their latest power rankings: "[Detmers] might be the reason for the next contending Angels team."

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