Angels GM Perry Minasian rightly shot down Cubs' ridiculous trade deadline inquiry

To say that any player on the Los Angeles Angels roster is untouchable is a bit foolhardy. When you're the GM of a team that is consistently below .500 year-in and year-out, hasn't been to the playoffs since 2014, and needs to restock a beleaguered farm system, no player should be off limits.

That said, Los Angeles Angels GM Perry Minasian did the right thing by telling the Chicago Cubs to go fly a kite when they inquired about trading for Logan O'Hoppe before the July 30 deadline.

According to The Athletic (subscription required), Cubs' President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer aggressively pursued a trade for O'Hoppe last month. Ultimately, Minasian stood his ground and O'Hoppe is still hanging the signs for the Angels' pitching staff.

Cubs aggressively pursued LA Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe at the MLB trade deadline

Again, no one in the Angels' organization should be considered untouchable. And even if you wanted to label a handful of players with that so-called title, Caden Dana, Nelson Rada, and this year's top draft pick Christian Moore would probably be ahead of O'Hoppe on that list.

But that's not to say LA's backstop isn't a key piece of the team's future. O'Hoppe has been one of the best hitting catchers in the league this season. Among catchers with at least 300 at-bats, O'Hoppe ranks among the top five in home runs, batting average, slugging percentage, and wRC+.

O'Hoppe has definitely endured some struggles in 2024 as well. According to Baseball Savant, O'Hoppe ranks among the bottom half of the league in most advanced defensive metrics. The 24-year-old also lacks plate discipline, as evidenced by his 30.9% whiff rate and 6% walk rate.

But offensive-minded catchers don't grow on trees, and it isn't like the Halos have a top-rated catching prospect looking to unseat O'Hoppe anytime soon. Dario Laverde is one of LA's best catching prospects, but the 19-year-old is still several years away from making any sort of impact at the major league level.

Nonetheless, the Cubs won't be the only team that comes calling. O'Hoppe is still pre-arbitration eligible and represents the type of bat-first backstop a number of teams are lacking heading into next season. Angels fans shouldn't be shocked to hear O'Hoppe's name continue to emerge in trade talks, but Minasian did the right thing by rebuffing Chicago's efforts at the trade deadline.

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