Could the Wade Miley signing open the door to another Angels trade with the Brewers?

Left-handed starting pitcher Wade Miley signed a one-year $4.5 million dollar deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. Miley is coming off of a season where he made just nine appearances (eight starts) for the Cubs but had a 3.37 ERA in 28 starts with the Reds in 2021. Miley hopes to stay healthy while pitching for his third NL Central team in the last three seasons.

I thought Miley was a pitcher who made some sense for the Angels to look into. I understand that he's left-handed, but if he can get people out that's really all that matters. Miley is cheaper than other starting pitchers Angels fans have their eye on, and a cheaper signing would've allowed them to address the bullpen as well. Regardless, Miley is a Brewer, and the Angels still need a starting pitcher.

With the Brewers having a ton of starting pitcher depth, could the Angels work out a trade for a starter?

The Brewers rotation is one to be reckoned with. Of course, at the front, they have Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff. That's one of the better duos in the game. Freddy Peralta dealt with injuries last season but when he's right, he's really good. Miley has a spot in the rotation either as the fourth or fifth starter. The Brewers also have young pitchers like Aaron Ashby and Janson Junk (acquired in the Hunter Renfroe trade from the Angels) who will be pushing for rotation spots as well.

Milwaukee has two veterans, Eric Lauer and Adrian Houser who I believe could be traded as a result of the Wade Miley signing. They don't have a spot for both of them in their rotation unless they want to go to a six-man rotation, and I don't envision that happening with pitchers as talented as Burnes and Woodruff in the fold.

Eric Lauer is a free agent after the 2024 season and is coming off the best season of his career. He posted a 3.69 ERA in 29 starts and 158.2 innings pitched. The Angels would most certainly take that production.

Adrian Houser is also a free agent after the 2024 season. His season was derailed by injury and poor command. He walked 4.1 batters per nine which when you're not a strikeout pitcher, isn't ideal. Houser will be much easier to acquire than Lauer because he's not as good. I'd rather someone like Michael Wacha or Johnny Cueto over him, but Houser probably can't be ruled out as a trade candidate.

Lauer would be ideal, I'm just not sure he'll be shopped. If he is, the Angels should take a good hard look. Again, I get that he's left-handed, that really shouldn't matter. Give me the talent, worry about the arm he uses another time.