This uncomfortable Angels trade idea might end up being the right path

The Los Angeles Angels got a pleasant surprise from outfielder Jo Adell last season as he had the best year of his young career. It might be an uncomfortable conversation, but the Angels have to think about trading him while he still has value.

A recent Bleacher Report article speculated that the Angels should trade Adell to a contender since he is too old to be considered a real cornerstone player and also because it seems unlikely that he can replicate the success he had in 2025.

Angels need to think about potentially trading Jo Adell

Last season, Adell slashed .236/.293/.485 with 37 home runs and 98 runs batted in. The power numbers were impressive, but the .293 on base percentage is alarming especially since he has yet to have an OBP over .300 in any big league season.

Adell's future with the team has been long debated, but it may be time to move on and sell high especially since the Halos are unlikely to be true contenders anytime soon. They probably wouldn't get a huge return for him, but if they could get a decent prospect that may be worth it to try and build for the future.

The Angels have a crowded outfield right now so dealing Adell would make things a lot simpler. The Angels are probably not going to trade Mike Trout since he is the face of he franchise even if he has struggled in recent seasons. They just acquired Josh Lowe in the offseason and he is well suited for a corner outfield spot as is Jorge Soler and it is doubtful any team would give much of anything for Soler.

Ironically, Adell may be on a similar career trajectory to Soler. Both have a ton of power and can hit a ton of home runs but some of their other stats are not that pretty to look at so whatever they value they bring to the table really is predicated on the long ball. That's a pretty tenuous way to provide value though, so Adell may have to raise the other parts of his game and learn how to get on base more often if he wants to stick around in the league.

There was a time when Adell was thought of as the future of the Angels, but now the Angels may have to look at the writing on the wall and trade him while they still can.