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

José Suarez

Suarez, a point of contention amongst Angels fans for many years, recently displayed why the Angels have retained him for so long. Suarez is so divisive because he is so all over the place, and in more ways than one. Suarez is often swapped between Anaheim and Salt Lake City, and that occurs because he constantly vacillates between looking like the worst pitcher in the league and a pitcher with untapped potential. The flashes of dominance are there, the pitch-ability is there, the versatility is there, and it is perpetually agonizing for Angels fans when they see him fail.

In March and April, Suarez carried an OPS against of 1.005. In May, it was .667. In June, it was 1.695. In September, it was .598. You get the point.

Suarez ended his year on a high note, which potentially boosted his trade value in the eyes of the league's executives. In September, Suarez ranked third amongst Angels pitchers in FIP, K/9, and fWAR. He ranked second in xFIP.

The Venezuelan native could have showed enough that another team might want him on their major league roster after breaking camp this March. The Angels, due to their rocky past with the 27-year-old, will continue keeping Suarez on short leashes in games and on their elevator. "Their elevator" meaning leveling him up to Anaheim only to lower him right back to Salt Lake. Back and forth, back and forth. Up and down, up and down.

As crazy as it sounds, the Angels might not have room on either their pitching staff for the promising left-hander. In the rotation, José Soriano is a lock. They are not moving Tyler Anderson's expiring contract, as his trade value is pretty much zero anyways. Reid Detmers and Jack Kochanowicz are far better bets to make the rotation. Patrick Sandoval will return during the second half of the season. The bullpen is a logical fit for Suarez, but the Angels have a superabundance of long relievers.

Griffin Canning vs. José Suarez is a good debate for the fifth starter's spot, but the Angels will likely opt for Canning. Like Suarez, Canning finished the year on a high note, and the Angels view him as a more reliable innings-eater than Suarez (despite Canning's awful 2024 results). Suarez has better stuff, a cheaper contract, is younger, and less injury-prone than Canning. All those factors make him more tradable than Canning. Would you rather be able to package Suarez in a trade for a win-now position player and have Canning as your temporary fifth starter, or start Suarez over Canning and lose assets for a trade since Canning is untradable? These are the conversations Minasian is having at the moment, and he will likely opt for the former. Trading Suarez and keeping Canning in the rotation is a far more realistic option this winter.