How the Angels could be forced into trading one of their slugging outfielders

There is little question what position group is the best in Anaheim, as the Angels boasted not just a good outfield, but one of the best offensive group of outfielders in baseball. The trio of Mike Trout, Taylor Ward, and Jo Adell put up huge numbers offensively, while Bryce Teodosio provided value in his own right since his arrival in the big leagues. However, too much of a good thing may wind up with the Angels being forced into trading one of their sluggers…and it won’t be Trout. 

The Angels, clearly, are not a playoff caliber team at the moment. While the front office, coaches, and players all maintained that this team was competitive at and through the trade deadline, they never had enough to get over the hump of a .500 record. With an unbalanced roster and holes at third base, second base, in the rotation, and out of the bullpen, there could be a real argument that Ward or Adell should be moved this off season. 

How the Angels could be forced into trading one of their slugging outfielders

This trade deadline season, both Ward and Adell were mentioned often as true contenders looked to take advantage of a wide open MLB. Ward had to publicly plead to stay in Anaheim for the rest of the season, but with his contract ending after the 2026 season the trade rumors will likely begin trickling in again soon. And for what it's worth, Ward's value will likely never be higher than it has been this season. One could argue that the Angels should make Ward a Halo for life and ink him to a contract extension this off season, but there will undoubtedly be teams vying for his bat.

As for Adell, the same can be said with his value. While there was value attached to Adell's name after his 2024 season that saw him finish as a Gold Glove finalist despite not fully coming together at the plate, his value truly took off this season to an unprecedented level. After a slow start, Adell became one of the best power hitters in the entire American League. The season also proved that Adell cannot last in center field, making the idea of a Ward-Adell-Trout outfield vanish. He is without a doubt the most valuable of the three at this point given he has two years of team control before reaching free agency and put up the best numbers for the majority of 2025.

In a perfect world, Ward, Adell, and Trout would share the outfield in 2026. However, with Adell's defense not translating to center field and Trout's body unable to hold up even as a corner outfielder, the Angels very well could be listening to trade offers for Adell and Ward this off season.

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