MLB Insider's early trade prediction has the Angels already waving the white flag

The MLB trade deadline is at the end of July for a reason. Teams need time to determine whether they, themselves, are contenders or pretenders, and players need time to prove their worth on the open market. However, as per one MLB Insider's projections, the Angels should already accept their fate as a losing team in 2025.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden recently came out with an article highlighting the five trades he'd like to see right now, based on the premise that we already know all we need to know about certain teams, writing:

"In today’s game, front offices equipped with advanced analytics have a much better feel at this stage for which teams are contenders and which are rebuilding, as well as which need to wait until closer to the July 31 deadline to decide whether to reset.

Therefore, teams like the Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins, Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels don’t need to follow the old-school trade map. These non-contending teams aren’t going to make the playoffs this year. If they have opportunities to trade veteran players for stronger prospect packages now, there is no reason to wait until July."

Jim Bowden in The Athletic

Being lumped in with the White Sox, Rockies, Pirates, Marlins, and Cardinals hurts. Trading away veterans now would mean that the team is already admitting defeat with regard to their goal of playing competitive baseball in 2025.

It's also questionable whether or not we know for sure that the Angels belong in that category at this early juncture. After all, this was a team that started the season red hot and was in first place in the AL West roughly three weeks ago. As cold as they are now, things can change, just as they did after the sizzling start.

Furthermore, the player Bowden has the Angels trading likely isn't yet playing at his peak, so trading him now would be selling low. The Angels should have no urgency to move the veteran in question unless they are blown away by an offer.

Jim Bowden proposes the Angels trade DH/OF Jorge Soler to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for pitching prospect Ben Kudrna

Bowden's premise is that the Angels should make this trade now, rather than at the deadline, a move that may help the Royals, but does little for the Angels in reality.

The slugging Soler has not played his best baseball over the first month-plus of the 2025 season outside of a few bright spots. Batting .229/.290/.441 with six homers, he's struggled to draw walks (6.1% walk rate) at a rate equal to his career average (10.1%) while also striking out more than he has in his most productive seasons.

That may be the way the season plays out for the 33-year-old, but with over two-and-a-half months to go before the trade deadline, why not give him some more time to see if he can return to his norms and build additional value?

Not only that, but Soler's departure would open up a massive hole for the Angels at DH, which was a real problem last season. The only true solution then would be to insert Mike Trout as the primary DH once he returns from the injured list, but that would open the question of who would play right field.

The options at Triple-A to take over in the outfield are slim, with top prospect Matthew Lugo struggling in the early going and no other viable options present.

Furthermore, the proposed return for Soler isn't spectacular. Right-handed pitcher Ben Kudrna is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Royals' No. 4 prospect. The 22-year-old is lauded for his plus changeup and burgeoning slider to pair with an acceptable fastball.

Projections peg him as a back-end starter; however, as he's advanced through the minors, he's struggled. After being promoted to AA around midseason last year, he posted a 5.32 ERA in 45.2 innings pitched. So far this season, while repeating at AA, he's recorded a 5.23 ERA in 20.2 innings.

The Angels would benefit from pitching depth, for sure, but Kudrna alone seems like a light return for a player who can be an impact bat for a contender.

Lastly, the Angels have no urgency to trade Soler now, or even this season. The veteran is under contract through 2026 with a reasonable salary of $16 million, given his track record, meaning the future opportunities to trade him will be plentiful.

The Halos have shown little appetite to trade players with future years left on their deals, as they held onto key trade chips like Tyler Anderson and Luis Rengifo at last year's deadline. At that point in time, those players were in the same boat contractually as Soler, with one more year to go before free agency.

While you can question the effectiveness of only trading veterans on an expiring contract, as a player like Rengifo has lost a lot of trade value amidst his 2025 struggles, the same can be said for trading a proven performer at a low point in his value when there's plenty of time for him to return to form.

Simply put, trading Soler in May doesn't make any sense for the Angels, and in fact, it might not be wise to trade him at all during the 2025 season. Moreover, waiving the white flag on the season this early on would be further evidence that the organization has no set plan for how to climb out of the decade-long abyss they've found themselves in.

More LA Angels News from Halo Hangout