Reid Detmers is bringing more and more hope to Angels with possible trade deadline haul

John Mozeliak's first trade as the shot-caller of the Los Angeles Angels hardly qualified as a blockbuster; he did move two key pieces in catcher Logan O'Hoppe and reliever Chase Silseth, but all he got in return was a low-level prospect (Angel Arredondo) who isn't very highly regarded in scouting circles. That's not to say the deal was a disaster, but that's a pretty small return for two trade chips that seemed like they could have garnered more on their own.

Alas, that deal with the Rangers is complete, and it's time to turn our attention to the bigger names on the roster. Namely, Reid Detmers has made his final start ahead of Aug. 3, and he's riding a hot streak into the trade deadline. As frequently mentioned a name on the rumor mill as anyone else, the southpaw appears destined to find a new home

Can Mozeliak bounce back from the O'Hoppe/Silseth deal and incite a bidding war for his young pitcher's services?

Reid Detmers' recent hot streak with Angels has catapulted his trade value into the stratosphere

Detmers has been a tremendous pitcher all year long, compiling a 3.36 FIP and 3.39 xERA that do a far better job of explaining his dominance than a meager 4.03 ERA. By fWAR, he's tied with Shohei Ohtani as the 13th-most valuable pitcher in baseball this season. That's the kind of arm you can demand a king's ransom for.

It also helps that Detmers is hitting his peak right now. Over his past three starts, Detmers has allowed just three runs in 16.1 innings while striking out 22 (compared to just three walks issued). Home runs have been a season-long problem, but you can live with the occasional long ball if a guy is generating whiffs (29%) and chases outside the zone (32.3%) as frequently as the Angels southpaw is.

Factor in the facts that Detmers only just turned 27 this month and has 2.5 years of team control remaining via arbitration, and you've got perhaps the single-most attractive trade chip on the market this side of Tarik Skubal. With said market also heavily favoring sellers, Mozeliak and the Halos are in perfect position to capitalize on Detmers' recent run of success.

What would that look like? It'll depend on the acquiring team of course, but two top-100 prospects is a reasonable starting point -- the Minnesota Twins got that for 2.5 seasons of Jhoan Duran last summer, and even as a dominant closer, he's inherently less valuable than a frontline starter. If desperate contenders miss out on the likes of Skubal and Joe Ryan, they could find themselves at the mercy of the Angels' most outlandish desires at the trade deadline.

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