Angels trade deadline plans might be upended by John Mozeliak's arrival

There is a laundry list of reasons why Los Angeles Angels fans are glad to see anyone but Perry Minasian at the helm of the roster, but with the trade deadline approaching, there's one that we can all be extra thankful for. One of Minasian's many sins over the last five and a half years was not selling aggressively enough at the deadline when the team was clearly going nowhere.

The now-former general manager's strategy had been only to deal away guys in the final year of their contracts, leaving a lot of value on the table with the likes of Tyler Anderson (currently unemployed), Luis Rengifo (DFA'd by the Brewers and signed a minor leage deal with the Padres), and Taylor Ward (Grayson Rodriguez, anyone?). That trio alone could have netted a ton of young talent a couple of years ago, and now all Los Angeles has to show for it is one extremely injury-prone pitcher.

Prior to Minasian's termination and the installation of John Mozeliak as interim GM, it appeared that the Halos were yet again going to repeat the same mistake. Now, though, it appears that the tables have turned and Mozeliak has the power to deal Jose Soriano and Reid Detmers (and possibly more) at the deadline, if he so chooses.

Trading Jose Soriano, Reid Detmers is the best move forward for the Angels

One of the difficult things about Minasian's tenure was determining how much control he actually had over shaping the roster. Separating him from Arte Moreno's whims was a tough nut to crack. It appears as if a new day had dawned with the revelation that he was installed by team president Molly Jolly and had yet to even meet Moreno prior to taking control of the front office.

If Mozeliak is given free rein to operate as he sees fit, there could be a whirlwind of change coming down the pike.

The Angels are sitting in the cellar, battling teams like the Rockies, Royals, and Giants for the title of worst record in MLB. This isn't a team with a budding young core that is a year or two away from competing.

In fact, players like Detmers and Soriano, as well as Zach Neto, Jo Adell, and plenty of others, are only getting more expensive as they move through their arbitration years. With them, Los Angeles is no closer to regaining relevance. However, by trading them, there's a good chance that they can fix their barren farm system and set themselves up for a brighter future.

Dealing Soriano would be capitalizing on his maximum value before his fall from his historic heights at the beginning of the season completely changes opinions of him. Detmers could be even more valuable as the top left-handed Tarik Skubal alternative, with some even believing that his low salary and team control through 2028 could yield an even greater return than Detroit's ace.

There are useful pieces on this roster, but the problem the Angels have had for years is that there hasn't been any avenue that has worked to supplement them with the requisite talent to compete. The honest answer is the roster needs a reset, and now with Mozeliak coming in and Moreno potentially taking a step back, Los Angeles may finally be able to go back to the drawing board and begin building back the right way this time.

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