Angels' Luis García trade is another win for Perry Minasian

Right before the trade deadline expired, the Angels off-loaded their premier set-up man, Luis García, to the Red Sox.

García had an up and down season for the Angels before the trade, he struggled in both April and June but pitched effectively in May and July. July especially, which helped facilitate the haul the Angels received. García held batters to a .161/.212/.258/.470 in 8 July games.

The return for the Angels: Matthew Lugo, Niko Kavadas, Ryan Zeferjahn, and Yeferson Vargas. Kavadas and Zeferjahn are receiving major playing time for the Angels this year and making their presence known.

In his first career Major League games, Zeferjahn has limited hitters to 3 hits, 2 runs, a .103/.229/.103/.332 slash line over 9.1 innings. He has yet to allow a home run as well. Zeferjahn's fastball velocity is in the 94th percentile of pitchers this season, averaging 97.3 mph. His whiff% and K% are also in the upper echelon of all pitchers thus far. The Angels' bullpen is semi-in flux heading into 2025, but Zeferjahn is making a legitimate case to break Spring Training in the big league 'pen.

Niko Kavadas is doing what was expected, he's hitting balls hard when he is, in fact, making contact. Kavadas, also making his MLB debut with the Angels, has an average exit velocity of 92.8 mph and is posting an impressive 17.4% Chase%. He's staying in the zone and picking his spots well at the plate. A dead-pull left-handed-hitter with serious pop, Kavadas could break Spring Training as both an important bench piece behind Nolan Schanuel and a platoon designated hitter.

The biggest prospect in return for García was Matthew Lugo. Lugo was the Red Sox's highest ranked prospect dealt at the deadline. The 23-year-old is now mlb.com's #12 prospect for the Halos. A typical former shortstop turned outfielder, Lugo should rise quickly through the Angels' ranks en route to a big league debut sooner rather than later.

Yeferson Vargas is the youngest and most raw prospect received in the deal, but he flashes plus fastballs and sliders. At only 20-years-old, Vargas' stuff will continue to be honed in so his stuff will play up. His BB% is trending in the right direction while his velocity continues to rise.

García, a 37-year-old reliever on an expiring contract, gave Minasian exactly what he needed. Minasian signed García to a 1 year, $4.25 million deal, and he boosted his trade value before being flipped. While Angels fans were rooting for García to succeed with Boston, his performance has only made the trade look more genius. With the Red Sox, García has thrown 11.1 innings, allowed 13 earned runs, and is now on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. Yikes.

Perry Minasian's trade resumé boasts more wins than losses. The García trade, coupled with the Estévez deal, shows Minasian still has his fastball when it comes to roster building.