ESPN insiders reveal likely Angels trade deadline intentions post All-Star break woes

Even if the Angels win the rest of their games this month, they will enter August with a below .500 record. In order to avoid going 3-7 in their 10 games post All-Star break, they need to win a game with a pitching matchup of Kyle Hendricks vs. Logan Gilbert. The resurgence the Halos have shown at times in 2025 has been totally eclipsed of late by the Texas Rangers -- who are on a five game winning streak, 0.5 games out of a wild card spot and will send Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi to the mound during a pivotal pre trade deadline matchup against the Angels. In August, LAA has four series against top-eight MLB teams in the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros.

The Angels are currently down Jorge Soler, Christian Moore, Robert Stephenson, Ben Joyce, Hunter Strickland, Chris Taylor and technically Anthony Rendon. Mike Trout is only DHing as he gets his legs back under him, and Yoán Moncada cannot hit left-handed pitchers plus got drilled on the hand and is day-to-day at the least. Things are certainly looking bleak.

Extracting rumors from MLB writers concerning the Angels' intentions is difficult, as typically nobody understands the rhyme or reason of the team's transactions. Well, the intrigue is beginning to intensify with the Angels' failings of late.

ESPN insiders reveal likely Angels trade deadline plan after struggles out of All-Star break

Per ESPN's Alden Gonzalez: "The Angels are telling teams their pending free agents are available, sources with knowledge of the situation said. That includes third baseman Yoan Moncada, utility infielder Luis Rengifo, starting pitcher Tyler Anderson and closer Kenley Jansen. Left fielder Taylor Ward, controllable through 2026, can also be had with the right deal."

Per ESPN's Buster Olney: "The Los Angeles Angels are now five games under .500, and the presumption is that they will eventually move some players before the deadline, but the Angels don't always operate in the way teams typically do. Taylor Ward has drawn interest from other organizations."

A Taylor Ward trade would badly hurt fans' feelings, but it does seem like the best move for an organization that desperately needs depth at both the major and minor league level. Ward clubbed his 24th home run last night against Seattle-- only two other MLB players (Juan Soto, James Wood) are tied with him and just nine are ahead in that category. In theory, the Angels could fill the 31-year-old's vacant spot with Matthew Lugo (or anybody they receive back for Ward in that hypothetical deal). Lugo remains a top prospect for the Halos, showed solid flashes during his short MLB tenure and could use the development at the highest level. Additionally, if the Diamondbacks landed two top-20 Mariners prospects in return for Josh Naylor, the Angels could undoubtedly get something juicier for Ward who remains under team control for 2026.

Another player who is performing admirably for the Angels is Kenley Jansen, but he too has a player behind him who could take his role on the team moving forward. The 37-year-old has been incredible for the Halos, but Reid Detmers has the makings of the team's closer of the future. Some around the industry might still view Detmers as a starter, but his value as a reliever this year has been eye-opening for the Angels evaluators. Dealing Jansen now makes all the sense in the world.

Will the Angels be motivated to move Moncada or Rengifo? Christian Moore should be back sooner rather than later to take over full-time second base duties, which means Moncada could play the hot corner against right-handed pitchers and Rengifo would start there against left-handed pitchers. Plus, Rengifo could spell Moore at second base from time-to-time if they hold onto them. They do not have an obvious successor to take over third base, and both Rengifo and Moncada are performing admirably. It seems plausible that the Angels would have a reunion with Moncada than Rengifo in the offseason, so a Rengifo trade seems more likely.

Trading Tyler Anderson seems logical, but that would possibly leave the Angels with three starting pitchers. That's not ideal, even for a team that might want to purge all its expendable assets in order to build for the future.

Keep in mind that the Angels are not motivated to tank and try to land another top-ten pick, and last season they failed to offload all their coveted assets in order to embrace the future. So no, they will not trade all of Ward, Jansen, Moncada, Rengifo and Anderson. Look for them to trade at least two, however.

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