You may have heard a rumour or two about the Angels’ outfield situation. Taylor Ward is definitely getting traded! Mike Trout is definitely not going to play center field! The Angels are showing interest in [insert any outfielder not named Juan Soto here].
All we know for sure is, at the time of writing, the Angels have more outfielders than there are positions to play them. Which isn’t a bad problem to have. No one is complaining that the Dodgers have too many pitchers, right? (ok, so everyone IS complaining about that, but for different reasons).
Those same Dodgers were still finishing the dregs of their World Series champagne when the Angels made their first move of the offseason, trading Griffin Canning to the Braves for Jorge Soler. It was clearly a salary dump for the Braves, who quickly non-tendered Canning (now with the Mets). The trade also solved a couple of problems the Angels were facing -- namely, how to add power to their lineup and what to do with a pitcher who never quite got it together in Anaheim.
It may feel odd to start a conversation about outfielders with Soler, who is primarily a designated hitter, but those positions are inextricably linked on the Angels current roster. The 2021 World Series MVP played 46 games in the outfield for Atlanta last year, and while nobody will be giving him a gold glove anytime soon, he can stand in a corner spot when needed.
Someone who was a finalist for a Gold Glove last year, was Jo Adell. Which is quite a remarkable turnaround for someone whose most memorable outfield moment came in 2020.
2020, y'all. pic.twitter.com/FhbSOUr1Kt
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) August 9, 2020
Taylor Ward is still with the team, despite those constant trade rumors, and swung a productive bat last year whilst providing solid in left field. Mickey Moniak handled the bulk of center field in 2024, once a certain superstar went down with yet another season-ending injury.

What are the Angels going to get from Mike Trout in 2025?
Trout’s injury history has been well-documented. Like Anthony Rendon, he’s endured several years of seemingly unrelated ailments. He gets hurt early, and heals slowly. Unlike Rendon, and therefore even more frustratingly, when he has been available he can still outplay anyone else on the team. His first inning home run off of Corbin Burnes in the 2024 season opener basically summed up the Angels season. It was the only hit Burnes gave up in a game that the Angels lost 11-3. It was the first of ten homers Trout hit in just 29 games… and then he was done for the year.
The Angels need Trout. Although his injuries haven’t usually been linked to his outfield play, he’s not getting any younger and at this point the Angels should be open to anything and everything that has the slightest chance of keeping him healthy. An obvious option is to move him to DH or a corner spot- something Trout has said he’s open to, but a solution that the Soler trade seemed to slam the door on. But does it?
If Soler is capable of even just being a warm body in the outfield for 40 or so games, then there’s a quarter of a season where Trout could just hit. Giving Trout regular days off would be sensible as well; Moniak has shown he can cover center, and although both Ward and Adell have only played a handful of games up the middle, they haven’t embarrassed themselves when they have.
It does muddy things at DH, but considering the Angels used 22 different players at that position in 2024 (nine appearances from Cole Tucker, anyone?) how much muddier can it get? Yes, it would be ideal to have room for both Logan O’Hoppe and Travis d’Arnaud, should their bats heat up at the same time, and the likes of Niko Kavadas, Christian Moore and even Scott Kingery might benefit from time at the plate. Having more bats than there are opportunities to swing them is a problem the Angels would gladly welcome.
Other outfield options besides the big 5 are Kingery, Kavadas (spent time during the Arizona Fall League playing outfield), Matthew Lugo, maybe Gustavo Campero if he is not moved back to catcher full-time, J.D. Davis in left field, Luis Rengifo in left field, Nolan Schanuel in left field (per Jon Heyman), Kevin Newman when Zach Neto returns, and maybe Bryce Teodosio.
Having a spare outfielder hanging around, either as insurance over a long season or trade bait if it all falls apart, is exactly the kind of depth the Angels been lacking for far too long.