Would the Angels be wise to deal from their cache of young arms?

The Angels have amassed an intriguing collection of young hurlers. Would they benefit more by holding on to them, or packaging them in trades to address other needs?

Los Angeles Angels v Texas Rangers
Los Angeles Angels v Texas Rangers | Sam Hodde/GettyImages

The old adage "you can never have too much pitching" has always had some basis in reality. Especially for the Angels, who in recent years have fallen way short in the quality arms department. However, entering 2025, the Angels have accumulated a hefty collection of young pitchers. The question now is, how does the franchise maximize that value both in 2025 and beyond?

Out of this group, some are prospects who are starting to knock on the door of the big leagues, while others are youngsters who, while no longer technically prospects, have yet to really establish themselves at the Major League level for one reason or another.

Names like Reid Detmers, Chase Silseth, Jack Kochanowicz, and Sam Bachman will be competing to snag a starting rotation spot, with the losers looking to factor into the bullpen mix. Top prospects like Caden Dana, Sam Aldegheri, and George Klassen aren't far away, and a few others in the lower levels of the minors could see their progress accelerate.

The Angels still have roster holes that need to be addressed, both big needs and smaller desires. If the Halos plan to address these needs via the trade market, members of their young pitching stash would be popular targets that teams will ask for in return.

The Angels need to balance expectations between the present and the future

The Angels have made no bones about wanting to compete in 2025 and many insiders believe the team, despite its recent dormancy, is still in the market to make moves to improve the 2025 roster.

Being realistic, entering the offseason this was a deeply flawed roster that finished 2024 with a franchise-worst 63-99 record. Additions like Yusei Kikuchi and Jorge Soler will help, but at this point in the offseason, most of the impact talent on the free-agent market has already found new homes. The trade market may be a different story, but again, as we move toward spring training clubs may be reticent to make big trades now knowing they may be able to capitalize more on trade-deadline desperation in July.

Another salient point to consider is what are the realistic expectations for these young arms. While fans like to dream that each top pitching prospect will become a future ace, the likelihood of that happening is very slim.

Some will reinvent themselves as relievers after stalling in developing the necessary traits as starters. Some will succumb to injuries and have their potential derailed. While others may reach their full potential, which may not be as sky-high as fans hope.

Take top prospect Caden Dana, for example. The 21-year-old was recently ranked by Baseball America as the Halos' number one overall prospect, and he already broke into the bigs with a cup of coffee at the end of the 2024 campaign.

But what do the experts over at BA have to say about Dana's future? In their 2025 preseason scouting report, they described Dana and his potential as the following:

"Dana is a physically capped, 6-foot-4 righthander who has taken strides towards becoming a midrotation workhorse with a four-pitch arsenal."
Baseball America

What they're saying here is that Dana won't be a future ace, and that's okay because mid-rotation starters are valuable too, and in an increasingly expensive pitching market, having a young cost-controlled one is never a bad thing.

However, when you realize that the best of the bunch probably tops out as a number-three starter, you realize that everyone else's future is as a back-of-the-rotation option or in the bullpen as their best-case scenario. That's not terrible, but these youngsters might not be as shiny as we'd like to believe.

Ultimately, the Angels need to walk the tightrope with these guys, balancing between 2025 contention and the needs of 2026 and beyond. Putting on your rose-colored glasses, the team likely tops out as a Wild Card contender this season.

Alternatively, the rotation currently features two 35-year-olds Tyler Anderson and Kyle Hendricks who will be free agents at season's end. The bullpen, aside from hotshot closer Ben Joyce, is a fluid situation. There will be roles for the taking.

Outside of maybe a specific scenario or two, the Angels should be cautious. If a move presents itself that will help the team in 2025 and beyond, they should be open to dealing pretty much anyone from this collection, however, if the potential acquisition is a clear one-year rental they'd be better served being realistic about their timeline and hold on to these impressive young arms.

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