Angels’ trade deadline moves were impressive but they need to finish the job

So that's what it's like to experience a trade deadline under a competent general manager.

After years of watching Perry Minasian stumble around, refusing to commit to a single timeline or core group of players, it was refreshing to watch John Mozeliak methodically go to work over the past few days. Gone are Kirby Yates, Ryan Zeferjahn, Brent Suter, Jo Adell, José Soriano, Logan O'Hoppe, and Chase Silseth. In their place come nine prospects, including some top-tier types in Arjun Nimmala and Moises Ballesteros.

While that haul is a breath of fresh air, it's also just the start of the full-scale rebuild this franchise has been in desperate need of ever since Shohei Ohtani bolted for the other side of town. The Angels are still in possession of some of their best trade chips, and Mozeliak (or his replacement, if he doesn't get the full-time job) would be wise to capitalize on the momentum created by the front office at the trade deadline.

Angels can put rebuild into turbo mode by trading Reid Detmers, Zach Neto over the offseason

Reid Detmers was perhaps the single-most sought-after trade chip who didn't swap teams at the deadline, even though he reportedly very nearly did in a nixed trade with the Chicago Cubs.

Perhaps the Angels were able to get the prospects they liked most (Mason McGwire and Ballesteros) in the Zeferjahn trade, which is why the opted to trade a reliever instead of a starter to the Cubs. Still, they set a high bar for return packages by getting Nimmala and more from the Blue Jays for Soriano; Detmers, who has more value than his now-former teammate, should fetch a king's ransom on the trade market this winter.

Speaking of Nimmala, his arrival may have signaled the end of Zach Neto's tenure in Anaheim, since he's a 20-year-old shortstop with a 114 wRC+ in Double-A. Neto, alongside most of the other superstar shortstops on the trade block (e..g, CJ Abrams, Jeremy Pena, Francisco Lindor, etc.) wasn't dealt, likely due to the exorbitant price teams tend to demand for good hitters who can man the six.

But the Angels would be wise to try and work something out soon. Neto will have three years of control remaining come the offseason (Detmers will be at two), and the longer the front office waits, the more their respective values will shrink.

Both players would return the kind of farm-system-altering package that changes the perception around the future of a franchise, which is kind of what we've all been waiting for during the 2020s. Whoever is calling the shots before and after the expected lockout would be wise to commit fully to a prosepct-laden rebuild, even if it means giving up on any dreams of competing again in the near future.

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