Angels trade one of their best assets away in this horrific mock trade proposal

The Los Angeles Angels are in a strange position this offseason. They're a team still trying to compete, but are attempting to do so without Shohei Ohtani, without the willingness to go into the luxury tax, and without the high-end prospects ready to make an impact.

How the Angels plan on being a serious competitor in a really tough AL West is tough to envision, but focusing on the trade market is one way to go. The Angels don't have many great assets, but they still have enough to make a big move if they choose.

One of their best assets comes in the form of Chase Silseth, a 23-year-old with six more years of team control who showed great flashes this past season. Trading Silseth makes little sense for an Angels team that probably won't be very competitive in 2024. Trading him for a player they really don't need makes even less sense. That's what Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report suggests in this mock trade with the Rays.

LA Angels have no reason to trade Chase Silseth this offseason, especially for Brandon Lowe

Miller's mock trade has the Angels sending Silseth and outfield prospect Jadiel Sanchez to the Rays in exchange for Lowe. That's it. That's the trade. It's bad on many levels for the Angels. Let's start with what they give up.

Silseth hasn't quite established himself as a building block for this team yet, but he should get the chance to do so in 2024. Once the Angels committed to Silseth as a regular member of their rotation in the second half of this past season he did quite well, posting a 3.21 ERA in seven starts and 33.2 innings of work. The sample was small, but Silseth really impressed against quality teams including the Braves, Astros, Mariners, and Yankees.

There're questions about his stamina and ability to be a starting pitcher long-term, but the Angels as a team without much in terms of young pitching should not be rushing to give this guy up without getting some sort of a controllable established pitcher in return. They especially don't need to be trading him for a player they don't really need.

To make matters worse, it isn't only Silseth the Angels would be giving up in this deal. Jadiel Sanchez, the prospect acquired in the Noah Syndergaard for Mickey Moniak swap, would be going to Tampa Bay too. Sanchez might not be super highly touted but he's coming off an excellent year in 2023 and is another player the Halos should not be rushing to part with.

In return, the Angels receive Brandon Lowe, a power-hitting second baseman who has topped the 100-game mark just twice in his MLB career. With the Angels having Brandon Drury under contract for this upcoming season, I have no idea why the Angels would want to do this. Lowe can play both corner outfield spots as well, but the Angels have Taylor Ward, Mickey Moniak, and Jo Adell to fill the corners plus they can sign a free agent if they choose.

Lowe is far from a bad player. In fact, it looked like he was gonna be a star after strong years in 2020 and 2021. He's battled through injuries in each of the last two seasons and doesn't fit well enough to really make sense as an Angels trade target. A team that needs pitching should not be trading that for a player who plays the same position as one of their best players. I get he has more control than Drury thanks to his club option, but simply extending or re-signing Drury likely isn't off the table. Thanks for the offer, but no thanks on this trade.