Don't be shocked whatsoever if this Angels player is gone by the 2026 trade deadline

The Los Angeles Angels are off to a decent start to the 2026 season but there is certainly room for improvement. Third baseman Yoan Moncada is off to a rough start and it would not come as a surprise to anyone if he was not with the team by the trade deadline.

In 11 games so far this season, Moncada is hitting a dismal .083/.267/.167. He has one home run and has driven in three runs but overall it has been a real struggle at the plate for the former top prospect.

Angels have made made the wrong bet rolling the dice again on Yoan Moncada

Moncada's made some early defensive miscues as well so pretty much everything is going against the 30-year-old right now. Last season with the Angels, Moncada slashed .234/.336/.448 with 12 homers and 35 runs batted in across 84 games. He dealt with injuries but his overall numbers were respectable, if not all that remarkable. He did enough to get the Angels to bring him back on an affordable deal at $4 million, but it is very questionable whether he is going to stick around very long on this team.

Young infielder Christian Moore is a guy who could definitely see some action at third base. While he was competing for a job at second base in spring training, he did not do enough to earn a shot. But if things start to go south, why not take a chance on him and let him learn and grow while getting valuable big league at-bats? Denzer Guzman is another guy with potential who could be called up. He's primarily a shortstop and, like Moore, got a brief showing with the Angels in 2025 and would benefit from an extended look.

The sad truth is at this point it does not seem like the Angels would get very much for Moncada in a trade. He does not bring a ton of value to the table and even though he has had some solid years in the past, it's hard to make the argument that he is just a tweak or two away from finding his old form.

Moncada will get a chance to turn things around, but if he does not do not be surprised if the Angels move on from him.