Angels looking like even bigger winners in Luis García trade

When the Angels traded Luis García away at last year's trade deadline, it was a move many saw coming as bad teams trading away their good relievers is the surest bet of any trade deadline. The Angels received four minor league prospects for García: right-handed pitchers Ryan Zeferjahn and Yeferson Vargas, first baseman Niko Kavadas and the newest star in Anaheim, Matthew Lugo.

This trade was already a huge win for the Angels as Zeferjahn has morphed into a top relief option for this team. And while good relievers are nice to have around (the Angels could sure use more of them), Lugo is a potential change in trajectory for this team with the hot start he has had and the hole he can fill on this team going forward.

Despite going 0-4 with four strikeouts on Monday night in Sacramento, Lugo is slashing .310/.333/.759 while playing exceptional defense all over the outfield. He has already accumulated 0.7 bWAR, the second highest number of any Halo position player in 2025 (only Zach Neto has earned more). While that may have to do with how underwhelming this Angels' offense has been, Lugo has provided a genuine spark in the lineup as the Angels are winners of four straight with Lugo as their everyday center fielder.

What makes this trade truly a landslide is the Angels sent García to Boston where he pitched a grand total of 15.1 innings before parting ways this offseason. In those 15.1 innings, García allowed 24 hits, 14 earned runs, and 4 home runs. He has returned to form this year, but the Red Sox sure could use Lugo now as their outfield has proven to be inconsistent at best.

The other players acquired for García are no slouches either. Kavadas has rarely seen big league action, despite a brief call up after Mike Trout was placed on the IL. Nevertheless, Kavadas is the type of player that the Angels quite honestly need in their lineup.

While the Angels were able to shed their inability to walk this weekend against the Dodgers, overall the team has gotten on base via walk less than any team in the MLB. Kavadas walks at a ~15% clip, and has 17 extra base hits to boot as well. Disciplined power is exactly what this team needs, and Kavadas could find time in the corner outfield in Anaheim soon if Jo Adell continues to struggle.

Yeferson Vargas is the rawest player the Angels recieved for García. Only 20 years old, he still has a decent amount of time before he reaches Anaheim. Nevertheless, the early returns of Vargas have been exciting. After joining the Angels' farm system last year, he pitched in 7 games for the High-A Inland Empire 66ers and was tantalizing. He posted a 2.35 ERA while striking out 33 batters and allowing 0 home runs. This season has been a bit of a step back due to a couple of blowup starts, but Vargas is still striking out batters at an exceptional clip.

It was obvious the Angels won the García trade almost immediately. Now, however, it is turning from a solid trade into a genuine masterclass by Perry Minasian given the talent oozing out of Matthew Lugo and Ryan Zeferjahn at the MLB level. And if Kavadas and/or Vargas produce in Anaheim eventually as well, this has the makings to the type of trade that sets the Angels up for years to come.

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