Ranking the five Angels trade chips by likelihood of being dealt

The Los Angeles Angels have been incredibly quiet this offseason so far, doing nothing more than signing a trio of middle relievers to cheap one-year deals. It's safe to say that this team that went 73-89 last season and just lost Shohei Ohtani is going to have to do a whole lot more than take risks on middle relievers to be competitive in 2024.

While the Halos would love to do most of their damage in the free agency market, the reality is the class is just weak from top to bottom. There're some big names still left like Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger, and Josh Hader, but even those free agents come with massive question marks.

With that in mind, the trade market has been a place teams have been turning to, and the Angels don't appear to be an exception there. Perry Minasian has not made a trade yet, but has been receiving interest in these five players in particular according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required). While it's possible the Angels do trade all five of these players, some appear to be more likely than others. Let's rank them from least likely to most.

5) Mickey Moniak

Mickey Moniak finally broke out and showed why he was selected first overall in the 2016 Draft this past season for the Angels. In a season that began with him in the minor leagues, Moniak finally got his chance in the majors in May and what was supposed to be a short stint turned out to be a season-long look for the young outfielder.

Moniak simply never allowed the Angels to send him down thanks to his play. He slashed .280/.307/.495 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI in 85 games played. Impressive numbers for sure for a guy who had never found his footing in the majors prior to this season, but there are causes for concern as well.

Moniak fanned 113 times in 323 plate appearances and drew a grand total of nine walks. Plate discipline was an issue, especially as the season progressed. He's going to have to be much better in that regard. Moniak also had an absurd .397 BAbip. The league average is .300. He was getting incredibly lucky on balls in play. Additionally, his numbers against lefties left a lot to be desired when it comes to him being a full-time outfielder.

His weaknesses are very glaring, but Moniak did display impressive power, speed, and defense in the outfield. If he can improve on the weaknesses, he can easily be this team's center fielder of the future. The reason I think it's highly unlikely Moniak goes anywhere is he has four years of team control. The Angels would need to get back more than they'd realistically be able to get in order to give him up at this point.

4) Taylor Ward

Taylor Ward looked like he was on a path to stardom following his breakout year in 2022. Unfortunately, he took a big step back this past season, but was still a productive player for the Angels. The 30-year-old slashed .253/.335/.421 with 14 home runs and 47 RBI in 97 games for the Halos before getting his in the face by an Alek Manoah fastball.

Ward was playing some of his best baseball of the season before his season-ending injury, which is something we could say about far too many Angels players unfortunately. The injury and regression from his monster 2022 year could be signs that the Angels should move him, but it also could deplete his value on the open market.

What makes Ward a valuable commodity is the fact that he has three years of team control remaining. The Angels can keep Ward around for the rest of his prime through his arbitration years and have a productive corner outfielder. When right, Ward has shown he has an all-star ceiling.

The only way the Angels should consider moving him is if they can find a legitimate frontline starter in return, and one that is not a rental (unless it's Corbin Burnes). Teams will covet Ward's years of control as Rosenthal points out, but I'm not sure the Halos can get their hands on a controllable starter (Dylan Cease type) in return, making a deal at least in my view unlikely.

3) Luis Rengifo

Luis Rengifo is in a very strange spot. Two monster second halves in a row have Angels fans wondering how good he'd be if he isn't bad in first halves. This past season Rengifo was a nightmare in the first half that every Angels fan wanted the team to get rid of before he practically carried the team alongside Shohei Ohtani in the second half.

Overall, Rengifo quietly hit 16 home runs, had a .783 OPS, and put up a 111 OPS+. He was one of the best hitters in baseball in the second half before his season-ending bicep injury.

What makes Rengifo enter the offseason in a strange spot is we don't really know what his role will be in 2024. Brandon Drury is the team's second baseman. Anthony Rendon (when healthy) slots in at third. Zach Neto can be relied upon at short. Rengifo could take Shohei Ohtani's starting spot, but in all likelihood the Angels are going to add another bat taking that possibility away. The outfield is also full with Ward, Moniak, and Mike Trout. Even Jo Adell is set to see outfield at-bats.

Rengifo could be a super-utility man once again for the Angels prepared to step into the starting lineup. That's probably what should happen. However, what if he can help the Angels get pitching? Rengifo is less valuable than guys like Moniak and Ward considering the fact that he only has two years of team control and has yet to be productive for a full season.

The Angels could definitely use Rengifo, but also should not be as hesitant to deal him for an upgrade if that's out there. While his versatility is valuable, the Angels could easily trade him and then go out and sign someone like Whit Merrifield who can also play all over to take his place.

2) Matt Thaiss

Against all odds, the Angels traded Max Stassi away this offseason clearing the path for Matt Thaiss to re-claim his role as Logan O'Hoppe's primary backup catcher. While Thaiss appears to be in the driver's seat for now, that doesn't mean the Angels will go through with it.

Thaiss began last season as O'Hoppe's backup and struggled at the start, but then really took off when O'Hoppe landed on the IL. Thaiss was one of the best offensive catchers in the American League for a couple of months but then really struggled down the stretch. His overall numbers didn't turn out to be so great, as he hit just .214 with a .659 OPS and an OPS+ of 80.

Thaiss is an intriguing piece to keep around as he did show signs of improvement this past season, but is also an inexperienced catcher. Having two inexperienced catchers in Thaiss and O'Hoppe playing every day catching a young pitching staff probably isn't the best recipe for success. While Stassi was extremely underwhelming in 2022 and overpaid, he did provide the veteran presence and strong defense that teams value behind the dish.

I don't think trading Thaiss is a must, but I wouldn't be shocked to see the Angels part with him and his four years of control for a different player, and then turn around and add a veteran backstop to pair with O'Hoppe.