Top 3 LA Angels trade candidates for when MLB lockout ends

1 of 3

The LA Angels haven't had great luck with free agency this offseason, but can make things happen with trades once this lockout ends.

If they choose to go this route, it's very clear as to which players are on their trade block.

They reportedly are looking at trading for Luis Castillo on the Reds, Chris Bassitt/Frankie Montas on the A's, and pitching on the Marlins as well. These prizes will certainly demand plenty of compensation from us, so don't be surprised if a player or players on this list are gone if we bring in one of the big pitching names on the trade block.

No. 3 LA Angels trade candidate for when MLB lockout ends: Justin Upton

What's happened to Justin Upton in his LA Angels career has been a shame. After finishing 2017 hot after he was acquired via trade, Upton had a good 2018. Starting in 2019, however, he's been battling injuries.

It even got to the point this year where Upton wasn't even playing well when he was on the field. The injuries were taking their toll on Upton's performance, and they had to shut him down for the end of the year.

It's tough because when Upton's healthy, he's a good ballplayer. In the month prior to battling injuries this year, he was hitting .326/.420/.600 (1.020 OPS) with six home runs, eight doubles, and 25 R in 25 games. This is how the Halos will have to sell Upton when it comes to trades.

The Angels owe Upton $28 million this year. While Upton is good when he's healthy, banking on him to stay healthy isn't the most reliable move. If the Angels can't sign any more big starters in free agency and look to trade for one, Upton would be one of the first guys we'd look to trade.

His health is unreliable for us to keep paying him, but we can sell his production when healthy, the fact that he is going to be healthy coming into next season, and his talent and past strong resume.

Sep 6, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels left fielder Jo Adell (7) runs to first / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

No. 2 LA Angels trade candidate for when MLB lockout ends: Jo Adell

Jo Adell has been discussed in trade speculation for forever with the LA Angels.

There are no credible rumors about Adell out there right now, but he's so talented that many MLB teams are going to want him if they can acquire him in a trade. Especially after Adell came up and shined for the team last year.

He knocked in 26 RBI in just 35 games. The best part about the season was his improvement. He went from striking out 55 times in 38 games to just 32 times in just three less games.

He also made drastic improvement on defense, and didn't make a single error this year. It's his proven coachability and improvement towards what he's needed to work on the most that is going to be catching other team's eyes.

A top ten overall draft pick, Adell has been scouted for a long time and other teams know just how good he is. He's valuable to our club, but has quite a bit of trade value too. If the Halos want to go down the trade route for pitching, Adell could bring back a nice return.

Sep 26, 2021; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielderer Brandon Marsh (16) hits / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

No. 1 LA Angels trade candidate for when MLB lockout ends: Brandon Marsh

Brandon Marsh is the name people keep coming back to when it comes to trade bait that the LA Angels have for pitching.

Marsh, like Adell, dominated the Minor Leagues to the point where the Halos decided to have him come up this year, and he continued to show flashes in the Bigs. He never had to be sent down. His defense was fantastic, and may even force Mike Trout to right field next year.

Marsh has great wheels, and put them on display as he stretched three doubles into triples in just 70 games.

Marsh is one of few great prospects we have, and we've been developing him since 2016. It would be tough to want to trade him. If we do go after pitching, however, Marsh is a very attractive trade chip to other teams.

He has elite speed and he's got pop in his bat. He's the type of big-league ready prospect that teams are looking for.

dark. Next. Grading the 2021 starting rotation

With the farm not very good over here, Anaheim doesn't have a ton of good trade chips. The ones they do have could potentially spark a deal being done. The Halos will likely still look to free agency to improve the staff, but could very well end up having to pivot to the trade market quickly.

Home / LA Angels News