Angels trading for Josh Lowe suddenly makes their intentions obvious

The Los Angeles Angels struck a surprising trade that landed them outfielder Josh Lowe in a three-team deal. This move shows that the Angels intend to be competitive in 2026 and likely ensures Jo Adell will be sticking around.

The Angels would not make this sort of deal unless they were serious about trying to win next season. It would be understandable after a 72-90 campaign to look to rebuild and sell off some key assets, but the Angels are clearly looking to turn things around.

Angels clearly looking to compete in 2026 after Josh Lowe trade

Now, Lowe is not a game-changer in the outfield, but he is a solid player. Across his five-season big league career spent entirely with the Tampa Bay Rays, Lowe has slashed .250/.306/.414 with 43 homers and 179 runs batted in, along with 79 stolen bases.

His best season came in 2023 when he slashed .292/.335/.500 with 20 home runs and 83 driven in across 135 games. Unfortunately, his production took a little bit of a dip in the last two seasons thanks to some injury troubles, but the potential is still there for the 27-year-old.

This move likely also means that trading Jo Adell is no longer on the table for the Halos. Adell has been seen as a potential trade piece for the Angels for some time, but if Los Angeles is intent on fielding a competitive roster, then it would make no sense to get rid of Adell at this point.

The 26-year-old had his best big league season in 2026, as she slashed .236/.293/.485 with 37 home runs and 98 runs batted in. Sure, he still has a lot of room for improvement, but those impressive power numbers have to give the Angels some hope that he can become a consistent power threat.

Maybe the Angels also found that a potential trade market for him never really materialized. The fact that he has really only put up respectable numbers in his last two seasons may scare some teams away who think his success is a bit of a fluke.

But having Adell and Lowe in the outfield will strengthen LA's lineup, to be sure. Neither may be perennial All-Star candidates, but together they could give the Angels something to work with.

The Lowe trade has made a lot clear for the Angels, and it seems obvious now that they are going to give it a run in 2026 and see if they can put something together.