Angels watch as key trade asset's value disappears before their eyes early in 2025

Last season, as the Angels plummeted to new lows, the team was relatively quiet at the trade deadline, opting to move just a pair of relievers who were in the final year of their deals. Though the expected fire sale didn't come, the team made out well, getting a haul for journeyman reliever Luis Garcia and two top pitching prospects for closer Carlos Estevez.

However, one of the most frequently projected trade candidates, Luis Rengifo, stayed put despite those rumors continuing to swirl throughout the offseason as well. The Angels' handling of Rengifo overall has been curious. The versatile 28-year-old can play second, short, and third, as well as some outfield in a pinch, and will be a free agent at season's end.

The Angels' reluctance to part with him at last year's trade deadline or throughout the offseason would indicate that they view him as part of their future; however, no extension talks have materialized, and their handling of his arbitration case would indicate that they don't value the veteran highly.

2025 is likely Rengifo's last season in Anaheim, and the club might be wishing they handled things differently over the past year.

The Angels have seen Luis Rengifo's trade value turn to dust this season

When Rengifo came up with the Halos, it was as a light-hitting utility infielder with a questionable glove. His on-field value was minimal, though his youth made him a piece to bet on for the long term. After debuting in 2019, Rengifo didn't start earning regular playing time until the 2022 campaign.

In 2022, Rengifo showed renewed potential, finding some power that led to him hitting 17 homers in 127 games and tallying a .264/.294/.429 line. He followed that up with 16 dingers and a .264/.339/.444 performance in 2023, posting 1.7 fWAR for the second straight year.

Rengifo may not have been a star, but he looked the part of a solid role player who was still young and provided much-needed positional flexibility across the diamond. 2024 was his true breakout, fueling the trade speculation, as he upped his game, hitting .300/.347/.417 in 78 games before being lost for the season due to a wrist injury.

As Rengifo blossomed, health became a concern as the switch-hitting infielder developed a penchant for missing time, never playing more than 127 games in a season. Still, his jack-of-all-trades skillset generated a lot of interest, particularly over the offseason when the class of free-agent infielders left something to be desired.

Beyond durability, there were some underlying concerns with Rengifo's production, however. The quality of contact was a real concern over his three-year stretch of productivity. Take 2024's breakout campaign for example where his average exit velocity was just 87 miles per hour, his hard hit rate was a below average 32.5%, and his barrel rate was a minuscule 2.5%, Those factors coalesced for an expected batting average of .262, a far cry from the .300 mark on the back of his baseball card, and an expected slugging of .352 which would've been far below average.

Similar quality of contact issues plagued Rengifo in 2022 and 2023 as well, further illustrating why one shouldn't be fully bought in. Yet, after a three-year stretch of producing actual results, many teams were interested in acquiring him, while the Angels clearly don't see him as part of their long-term future.

That inaction will now come back to bite them. Through his first 100 plate appearances in 2025, Rengifo is hitting just .242/.270/.326 with one homer and shoddy defense at both second and third base. His quality of contact continues to be unimpressive, with his 85.3 miles per hour average exit velocity ranking in just the sixth percentile to go along with a fourth percentile hard hit rate of just 25%.

Rengifo is hitting the ball the same way he always has, but it appears that his extraordinary run of good luck has run out, making him look like a very pedestrian player. The Angels would've been well served to deal him at the peak of his value, and now they've seen his market tank in what will likely be his final season with the team. That's just poor roster management for a team that has failed to commit to a rebuild for far too long.

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