Angels Rumors: Recent SD Padres report could benefit LAA's flawed bullpen

The Angels still have time to add more pieces to their roster, and another trade should not be ruled out. The biggest area of need is clearly the bullpen, as they have yet to add a single major league reliever and currently have 2-3 spots which are easily up for grabs in spring training. There are rumors that the Angels are positioning themselves to add more players, and a trade for a bona fide stud closer would be the best possible position for them this late in the offseason. A team taking plenty of calls at the moment is the Padres, and their All Star closer could easily be a cap casualty in the coming days.

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Padres, for various reasons, are unlikely to move Dylan Cease, Michael King, Luis Arráez, Jake Cronenworth, or Xander Bogaerts. However, Robert Suarez could find himself wearing a new uniform in 2025:

"Multiple sources have said King is essentially off the trade block, and word is Cease is increasingly likely to stay. But Suarez appears to be another story.

It would be a stretch to say the Padres are intent on trading their closer. But that is the move that appears most probable, according to two people familiar with the tenor of the team’s discussions. The Padres like their bullpen depth at the back end with Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Stephen Kolek, Sean Reynolds and left-hander Adrián Morejón and are finding it more likely Suarez fetches them a return they need while taking $10 million off the books for this season."

Kevin Acee

The Padres have lost Tanner Scott, Jurickson Profar, Kyle Higashioka, Ha-Seong Kim, and Donovan Solano. Roki Sasaki left them at the altar in favor of their rival. They are having a brutal offseason, and trading Suarez would be yet another example of them losing a key contributor from 2024.

Some semblance of a Tyler Anderson for Suarez swap made sense if the Padres were looking for post-2025 payroll flexibility, while not cutting the cord on this season even more than they already have. Trading Suarez for Anderson would have added a reinforcement in their rotation, T.A.'s $13 million contract would expire after the season, and they would not have to deal with a potential Suarez opt-in in 2026. However, Acee's report shows that they do not want to add any more money to their major league payroll. So that is off-the-table.

The Angels have several prospects who are close to MLB-ready, given that every Angels prospect with some talent has been given a whirl at the big league level already. Sam Aldegheri could be in the deal -- a top-200 prospect who debuted last year (to mixed results), and has solid pitchability despite average to below average stuff. Maybe the Padres would want to take a flier on a player like Bryce Teodosio, an above average athlete with tools that play as a 4th outfielder/pinch-runner? Perhaps a Jack Dashwood? Kelvin Caceres? Or even a Kyren Paris? Whatever return the Padres seek, the Angels could form a solid package of non-Moore, Dana, Klassen, Rada prospects to help them fill whatever need they want to address.

If the Angels are serious about contending, they should have no complaints about trading prospects with some upside for a fireballer reliever to pair with Ben Joyce. The Angels still have $30 million burning a hole in their pockets, and Suarez would be a top-2 available reliever if he were a free agent (alongside David Robertson). Suarez is undeniably better a better closer than Kenley Jansen and Kyle Finnegan. If the Angels trade for Suarez and he ends up being a one-year rental, so be it. Trading for this type of player is exactly what the team needs to end their decade-long postseason drought, no matter the risk.

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