Lack of exciting free agents should force Angels to get creative once offseason starts

It is a brave new world for the Los Angeles Angels, which is very exciting for a fanbase that has been in a bad place for quite a while. By the start of next season, the Angels will have a new majority owner and, in theory, that change SHOULD make the team a true destination for free agents again immediately. Unfortunately, this offseason market is not ideal if the Angels (or anyone else) wants to make a real splash.

While much has been made of Tarik Skubal's pending free agency, the list of viable free agents after him drops off in a hurry. Kevin Gausman is interesting, but is also past his prime. Freddy Peralta has had a brutal 2026 season. The best available bat MIGHT be Bo Bichette again, assuming that he decides to opt out of his deal with the Mets. In short, there isn't exactly a laundry list of guys that would make a big difference on an Angels roster that has a lot of questions right now.

So what is a new regime to do, or at least signal to the front office, as the sale closes regarding their plans going forward? While free agency may not bring the answers, the trade market could be very busy ahead of a likely lockout, and that could be the opportunity the Angels and John Mozeliak are looking for once the season ends.

The offseason could be very busy immediately after the season ends, and that is when the Angels should strike on the trade market

Here is what we know. The Angels, under likely future executive John Mozeliak, initiated a sell-off at this year's trade deadline that did not include all of their trade assets. We also know a lockout is basically inevitable, and most experts agree that the shadow of a work stoppage will make the weeks following the 2026 season extremely busy as teams clamor to make moves before they are no longer allowed to.

With a truncated timetable and many roster needs that can't really be adequately addressed with free agent signings, the Angels cannot afford to do anything else but be aggressive on the trade market. As sad as it is, it is becoming clear that Zach Neto isn't much of an answer for the Angels, so flipping him for other offensive pieces and prospect depth makes a lot of sense. Maybe LA finds some future roster pieces, but such a deal could also just bring back useful trade capital that the Angels can use to address other areas of the roster and still potentially be worth it.

While the upcoming free agent market leaves a lot to be desired, there will be some pretty interesting rental players that might be available for the right price. Freddie Freeman is a free agent after the 2027 season, although getting the Dodgers to cooperate may be difficult. Other possible names include Yandy Diaz, Munetaka Murakami, Isaac Paredes, Jeremy Peña, Logan Gilbert, Zack Wheeler, Joe Ryan, and maybe Sandy Alcantara, among others. That is more like it.

Now, will the Angels be alone in their pursuit of those guys or even be able to close the deal on many of them? Probably not, as LA won’t be the only ones who are looking to make a splash before the lockout arrives. However, the mere act of trying to be aggressive on the trade market to put an improved roster on the field would mean the world to Angels fans. No one expects everything to be sunshine and rainbows the moment ownership changes hands, but it would be nice to see some steps in the right direction for once.

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