Who should the Angels target in trade talks if NL West team looks to shed salary?

The Angels certainly are biding their time until they make the next roster move. Perhaps a perfect opportunity just arose in order to make their next splash this offseason. It involves Corbin Burnes, who Angels fans were clamoring for, signing a six-year deal for ~$210 million (the deal includes a player option) with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The D-Backs are a mid-market team, and does not historically spend to this level. The Burnes contract is their largest in franchise history, and their RSN situation is in-flux which affects the organization's earning potential. Their current payroll is projected at $194 million, and they have plenty of opportunities to shake up their roster in order to save themselves from hemorrhaging money. Expect the D-Backs to shed payroll soon, and the Angels could be the recipient of some potential win-now players if they play their cards right in the trade market.

The Diamondbacks have already been looking to dump Jordan Montgomery, and the Burnes signing means they will do anything humanly possible to move the World Series winning lefty. The Angels could take the lowest possible risk flier ever on Montgomery. He was still able to generate good chase outside the zone and miss barrels despite the abysmal 2024 season, which included getting moved out of the rotation and Arizona's owner calling himself stupid for signing him. The D-Backs would assuredly eat the majority of his remaining money in order to move him, and the Angels would not have to give up any legitimate prospects to obtain Monty. His deal also expires after 2025. If the Angels were to acquire another starter, they would need to make a decision on what to do with either Tyler Anderson (trade), Reid Detmers (trade or option to MiLB), or Kyle Hendricks (move to bullpen). Is Montgomery worth moving one of those three out of the rotation/off the team?

Adding Zac Gallen certainly is worth moving on from one of those three but, even with 2025 being the last year of his AZ deal, there's no shot he is moved now. The same goes for guys like Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt, and Drey Jameson, who are all team-controlled. Eduardo Rodríguez is for sure off-the-table for the Angels, given how much money and how many years he has left.

Merrill Kelly could be an interesting addition, as his deal is expiring like Gallen's. Kelly was much more available and effective during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but he was still able to carve hitters up with his off-speed arsenal in '24. Kelly has a deep bag of pitches and can spot each of them very well. Kelly is potentially attainable but, like with Gallen, the D-Backs will likely want to retain his services as they attempt another run at the World Series. Kelly pitched very well throughout the 2023 postseason for them.

Even though the D-Backs lost Christian Walker and Joc Pederson, they still have enough position players to make up for those losses and still make a cost-cutting trade. They added Josh Naylor to make up for Walker's departure, and could cheaply bring back Josh Bell to make up for the Pederson loss. They could afford to shed Eugenio Suárez's $15 million salary, get something back before he likely departs as a free agency after the '25 season, and still be able to put together a top-tier lineup. If the D-Backs are even remotely hinting at moving Suárez, the Angels need to be all over their phone line. The two sides could help each other out. Please?

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