3 dream scenarios for the LA Angels at this year's MLB trade deadline

Unfortunately for the Los Angeles Angels and their fans, the 2024 season has not gone in a direction where they could even entertain adding at the upcoming trade deadline. While being sellers at the trade deadline is normally a solemn occasion as teams say goodbye to players, this is still an opportunity for the Angels to finally get back on the right track as a franchise.

This trade market is heavily in favor of sellers like Anaheim. Assuming the Angels don't screw up and only make pending free agents available, they have trade targets on both sides of the ball that contenders are going to be clamoring for. By the end of the trade deadline, LA's farm system could actually look strong and the future would look a lot brighter.

With that in mind, here's what a dream trade deadline for the Angels could turn out to be.

Getting a haul for Tyler Anderson would be an amazing "sell-high" move

While big names like Garrett Crochet and Tarik Skubal have dominated the discourse surrounding the pitching trade market, whether or not they will actually get traded is an open question. Chicago is asking for a king's ransom for Crochet and he may require a contract extension to be willing to pitch in the postseason this year while Detroit is extremely likely to hold Skubal unless they are blown away. That means the Angels are in a potentially great situation with the likely available Tyler Anderson.

Anderson made the All-Star team this year, has been elite at getting weak contact for a couple years now, and sports a 2.91 ERA this season as of 7/25. Contenders in desperate need for starting pitching (and there are many) may be willing to really pay up this year especially given that Anderson is under contract through next season. Given that Anderson doesn't strike guys out and could turn into a pumpkin at any moment, LA getting a significant prospect package for him would be absolutely delightful.

A bidding war over Luis Rengifo would set the Angels up for the future

It is honestly shocking to see the total lack of bats on the trade market this year. Most of the obvious sellers just don't have bats that anyone wants, and guys who would normally be really attractive targets like Luis Robert Jr. and Randy Arozarena are having down years. This is particularly pronounced in the infield where Luis Rengifo has become a very popular name.

Aside from maybe the Rays' Isaac Paredes, there just aren't versatile infielders who can hit like Rengifo available on the trade market, which has a host of contenders in on him right now. His defense is questionable overall, but market scarcity is threatening to create a real bidding war for Rengifo. That could end with LA getting a true premium for a guy that probably shouldn't be in their long-term plans anyway.

Can the Angels find a team to take some of Anthony Rendon's money?

Alright, it is time to dream big. Obviously, Anthony Rendon's contract has been a disaster. He cannot stay healthy, and even when he does, he's accomplished little to justify the $245 million deal the Angels handed him. On top of that, he's been a headache with how he handles his interactions with the media. While his contract is as immovable as they come, if LA could find a team that would be willing to take on at least some of that money at the deadline, that would be the coup of the decade.

The only way this could happen is if the Angels attached a genuinely good, young player to the move. That could mean moving Nolan Schanuel, Zach Neto, Caden Dana, or Nelson Rada, which is obviously problematic given the state of the Angels' talent pipeline. Even if such a deal was possible, the amount of money the other team would take on may not be a ton. However, if that means LA could actually have some payroll to play with next offseason with some big names on the market, it might be worth it.

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