How much salary space can the Angels create at trade deadline?

With the Angels still unable to get above the .500 mark and the MLB trade deadline quickly approaching, the eyes of the fan base are slowly moving towards 2026 and beyond. With a slew of starting pitching available this winter as well as MVP candidate Kyle Tucker of the Chicago Cubs likely hitting free agency, the Halos may be wise to go into the deadline hoping to create as much salary space as possible so Arte Moreno can make his signature free agency splash this winter (although hopefully this one is better than the last three, or four, or five).

As of now, the Angels' payroll for 2026 is projected to sit just under $200 million. That accounts for options (like for Chris Taylor) as well as potential arbitration prices for players such as Reid Detmers and Jo Adell, who is ascending into stardom this season. If the Angels want to create enough room to make a genuine splash this offseason, there is an obvious starting point.

Jorge Soler was the jewel of the offseason for the Angels, along with Yusei Kikuchi. And while Kikuchi could very well find himself on American League Cy Young ballots, Soler has been a disappointment in Anaheim. His $16 million salary for 2026 needs to be on another organization's book, and if they need to attach a mid-tier prospect to do so the Angels would be wise to. If they do that and decline Taylor's aforementioned option worth $4 million, they've already created an extra $20 million in spending ability. That would put them at $179 million payroll for 2026, a full $65 million under the luxury tax threshold. That is historically a mark that Arte Moreno won't exceed, but has shown a willingness to get close to when he believes the team is a genuine contender.

And while his Angels' career has been plagued by injuries, relief pitcher Robert Stephenson is on the payroll for $11 million next year. If he gets healthy this fall, he could be sent to another team to shed salary as well. Those moves would give the angels nearly $80 million to spend befoe crossing the luxury tax threshold.

The extreme case here would be finding a way to either trade Rendon's contract away or cutting and stretching the contract. If the Angels genuinely believed in their ability to pull in a superstar free agent, this would give them an incredible amount of spending power to not just sign a star, but fill holes in the roster as well. With his contract coming off the books after the 2026 season, the Angels are set up to be spenders both of the next two offseasons, but could choose to prioritize one or the other depending on what they do with Rendon.

If the Angels genuinely do believe in their ability to contend in 2026 and 2027, the goal for this deadline should be to shed as much salary as possible. While that could be the plan for this winter if they fall short, contending teams are far more likely to take on bad contracts now as they try to win than they would be during the dull winter months when they have time to think properly. Minasian needs to have a plan now, and that plan should be to shed as much salary as possible to make a splash this free agency season.