3 Angels players who Perry Minasian would include in a trade for MLB talent

Arte Moreno, Perry Minasian, and Ron Washington all vowed to field a competitive roster in 2025. Moreno assured Angels fans and reporters that he will increase payroll in order to contend, despite masking his true intentions to spend.

The issue for the Angels is that they are not a free agent destination, and many of the available free agents do not necessarily fit with the roster. Either they are too rich for the Angels' blood financially or do not fit positionally. Consequently, the most logical path to increase the Angels' payroll is packaging a trade of young, relatively unproven players in exchange for a player who an organization is looking to get off their payroll.

Think of an exchange for players such as Brandon Lowe, Jesus Lúzardo, Ryan McMahon, Yandy Díaz, or Luis Robert Jr. -- talented players with good resumes, who are hitting free agency in the next year or two, with a current contract figure their club's might deem to be too high for their expected value. Or they might trade them just out of fear of potential regression.

Now, Minasian surely will part with the team's top prospects or young core in exchange for MLB talent. Zach Neto, Ben Joyce, Nolan Schanuel, Logan O'Hoppe, Christian Moore, George Klassen, and Caden Dana are here to stay. Do not worry, Angels fans. Not including players of their caliber will lessen the trade return, but there are still some players the Angels showcased in 2024 who bolstered their value. Whether they did so enough so as to talk other teams into buying their potential is a pivotal question for Minasian. Teams like the Rays, A's, Marlins, Twins, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Giants, White Sox, and Rockies might want to off-load salary in exchange for cheap, controllable players, whose future value they believe could be unlocked once they are away from the Angels.

None of the players listed here are good enough in a one-for-one trade for impact, MLB talent that the Angels are seeking, but maybe a package of two or three of them would be mutually beneficial for both sides. The Angels could increase their payroll and acquire a win-now player, while the other club could conceivably place these players in a better situation to succeed. Minasian is certainly on the lookout for infielders, one outfielder, pitching depth (always), and perhaps a designated hitter (even though Mike Trout will slot in as DH more in 2025)...possibly in exchange for a package incuding these players!