2 trades the Angels should have made, 1 we are glad they didn't

The Los Angeles Angels were among the league's most active teams around the deadline, acquiring Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Randal Grichuk, C.J. Cron, and Dominic Leone in exchange for a slew of prospects. This doesn't even include the trades they made to acquire Mike Moustakas and Eduardo Escobar in June.

The goal was very clear from the start of this deadline process. Win now. Stop at nothing to do so. The farm system took a big hit, but the team also did improve. Whether the goal of making it back to the postseason for the first time since 2014 will be reached or not remains to be seen, but the Angels seem to have done whatever they could to give them the best shot which is all you can really ask for.

As much as we'd like for the Angels to have traded for Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer, the team didn't have the prospects or money to make that happen. There were, however, players they seemed to have the ability to get but didn't. Now that the deadline has passed, let's look back at some players we wish the Halos acquired while also looking at two we're glad they didn't.

David Robertson would've been an outstanding fit at the back of the LA Angels bullpen

David Robertson was, in my opinion, the best reliever traded at the deadline. That's no disrespect to Reynaldo Lopez who has looked unbelievable as an Angel, but what if, instead of trading for Dominic Leone, the Angels traded for a different Mets reliever in David Robertson.

It's important to point out Robertson was moved four days before the trade deadline. That means the Mets got a package they clearly couldn't refuse. Whether the Angels could've topped it or not without using Edgar Quero or Ky Bush I have no idea, but it certainly would've been nice to see them try.

Robertson is as experienced as they come. He's succeeded in any role in the bullpen whether he's closing or setting up, and has a ton of postseason experience. He's even won a World Series, something very few Angels can say.

He wouldn't have come cheap, but with the Angels trying to put their best foot forward for the 2023 season, it makes too much sense. A late-game tandem of Reynaldo Lopez, Matt Moore, David Robertson, and Carlos Estevez would've been electric.

Scott Barlow is not the reliever he once was with the Royals

For years now it seems like Scott Barlow has been on the trade block but the Royals had refused to move him. He had a ton of value thanks to how good he was out of the bullpen for Kansas City while also having team control. Unfortunately, the Royals pulled a Royals and waited until the worst possible time to trade him.

Scott Barlow was traded to the Padres at the deadline in exchange for prospects Henry Williams and Jesus Rios. Williams is ranked ninth on the Royals prospect list according to MLB Pipeline, but their farm is weak, and he isn't much as a headliner for a guy who used to be elite. Rios is unranked on their top-30.

In 38 appearances, Barlow had a 5.35 ERA in 38.2 innings pitched for the Royals. His 3.63 FIP did suggest he was the victim of some bad luck, but his walk rate spiked from 7.6% in 2022 to 12.1% in 2023 while his strikeout rate was slightly lower.

Barlow had the extra year of control which is nice, but the Angels were very clearly looking at 2023 as their year. Having the extra year would've been a nice bonus, but the Angels chose right prioritizing Leone over Barlow just looking at this year alone.