Angels' Perry Minasian may have just saved his job with perfect trade

The Angels offseason started with some crucial decision-making by owner Arte Moreno. First, he had to decide whether or not general manager Perry Minasian and managers Ron Washington and Ray Montgomery would return to finish out their contracts in 2026. He decided against bringing back Washington and Montgomery, but opted to let Minasian finish out the extension he received in 2024 by staying at the helm through this offseason and the 2026 campaign. Angels fans were split on this, but many were ready to move on from the general manager that has not once guided the team to a winning season. 

But with his first move of the 2025 offseason, Perry Minasian may have changed the narrative around his job in Anaheim. The leader of the Angels front office was able to trade Taylor Ward - a 31-year old outfielder with one year left on his contract - for Grayson Rodriguez. Despite missing the 2025 season due to injury, Rodriguez is a player that far outweighs Ward in terms of his value to an organization. And the deeper one dives into the trade, the more confidence they’d have in Minasian guiding this Angels organization. 

Perry Minasian might have saved Angels’ career with stunning trade

When it comes to the corner outfield clog in Anaheim, there was not an easy choice for Minasian this offseason. Ward has been with the organization his entire career, had the best season of his career in 2025, and is one of the most beloved players of the decade among the fan base. Jo Adell finally broke out in 2025, turning himself into the best player on the Angels in 2025, and would have been traded just as he was beginning to hit his stride as a major leaguer. Jorge Soler would have been a cost to move - either by paying his contract or attaching a prospect - and a move like that would have had fans in an uproar. And Mike Trout cannot be traded (literally because of his no-trade clause and because he’s Mike Trout). And somehow, Minasian left this dilemma as a hero amongst Angels fans. 

While parting with Ward is hard on the heart, the fact that he took a player that every team in the league knew had to be traded and turned him into a young starting pitcher as talented as Rodriguez is a masterclass. Minasian has made great trades at the deadline before, but those have often revolved around relief pitchers for prospects.

This is a new level of finessing by the Angels general manager, as Rodriguez projects as a genuine front-of-the-rotation arm as long as he can stay healthy. And even if he takes longer than expected to join the rotation, Rodriguez has four years of team control left on his contract, meaning he’ll be in Anaheim alongside Jose Soriano and Reid Detmers for the remainder of the decade. 

This also clears a decent chunk of payroll for the Angels, as there is a roughly $13 million difference between Ward and Rodriguez’s salaries for 2026. This opens up offseason plans that Minasian previously could not explore, and has built a level of excitement in Anaheim that he’ll have to keep the flame going for. There is a lot of offseason to go, but Minasian is well on the way to saving both his reputation with Angels fans as well as his job in the front office with this absolute heist of a trade.