3 Players The Angels Should Trade For This Offseason
November 6, 2025 - Written by Zac Holladay
Sandy Alcantara Is Finding His Old Form https://t.co/9Og4pkbriD pic.twitter.com/FuURTZyAQR
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) September 17, 2025
It is that time of year that the Angels organization feels the most pressured. It is that time of year where the expectations of Angels fans are most disappointed and let down by the team’s initial decisions. But everything can change with a few decent moves. The offseason is a time for clubs to reflect on their performance and to improve by acquiring the best talent available and the best needs for the team. In the perspective of lower-tier teams, reaching for the stars and targeting the highest-graded talent is a long shot. So while every team has their own strategy on who to target, the Angels have a very confusing game plan for every offseason. Because the Angels, while spending like one, are not a small market team.
The direction that the Angels organization usually takes is pretty predictable. In recent years, the game plan has been to sign veterans with some success under their belt, either looking to be a role model or hoping to resurrect their career. This plan hasn’t worked too well as the level of production received from these players hasn’t met expectations. This is mostly the case because the team is afraid to give out big contracts due to the considered “failures” of contracts like Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Anthony Rendon, etc. As for pitchers, the Angels have never been influenced to invest heavily on pitching.
But the encouragement of the investment has increased a bit with the signing of Yusei Kikuchi, who displayed a decent 2025 campaign with a stable role next year on the team. Kikuchi, in his first year of a 3-year contract, was selected as the team’s only representative for the All-Star Game and proceeded to lead the starting staff in leading most pitching categories. The Angels organization is no stranger to desire the top arms available every year, but fall short every time. There is no doubt this team is a few moves away from contention, but not just any move will improve this team. The Angels have already made a huge move by bringing in former pitching coach for the Texas Rangers in Mike Maddux. Maddux worked with a pitching staff that won a World Series title in 2023 and owned the best rotation ERA in the Majors in 2025 at 3.41. As this move is a monumental win for the organization, it can hopefully promote the breakouts of the young Angel pitchers. This is just one building block of what is to come for Anaheim.
With that, there are three big pieces that would be great fits for the team and serve as reasonable acquisitions for the Angels organization as well as for the other organizations they are doing business with.
1. RHP Sandy Alcantara | Miami Marlins
The former Cy Young award winner had a massive down year in what the Marlins expected from Alcantara. After coming back from Tommy John surgery in 2024, Sandy Alcantara posted a career high 5.36 ERA in 31 games started in ‘25. Although his season stats don’t show much success, his second half was much more successful than the first, posting a 7-3 record and an ERA at 3.33, compared to his first half ERA over 7. The 30 year old from the Dominican Republic will be heavily sought after despite his poor performance due to his depreciation in value. This doesn’t mean that his price would diminish, as his talent, when healthy, is one of the best in the league and his role with the Marlins is still very significant as Miami ended their season with a more promising result than most had expected.
2. RHP Joe Ryan | Minnesota Twins
One of the younger, more promising arms in the American League is on the trade block and has been for a bit now. Joe Ryan, aside from Pablo López, is the Twins best pitcher and arguably the most valuable asset on their roster. Unfortunately, he is on a team that just recently had a fire sale at the Trade Deadline and is looking to rebuild a majority of their Major League roster. If the Twins are in a true rebuilding phase, then the urge to trade the 29 year old should be higher and they should be eager to get their heavy haul sooner rather than later. He would be the clear ace of the staff and fit perfectly as a California native.
3. 3B Nolan Arenado | St. Louis Cardinals
A premier glove and leadership stature are the biggest assets that this guy holds. Nolan Arenado is definitely one of the bigger examples in baseball of aging, which has permitted him and his team to fall short of expectations in the last few years. He doesn’t have nearly the offensive talent he had with the Rockies, yet he is still a wizard with the glove. But even with Arenado having a down year previously, he would be a perfect fit in Anaheim. Instead of the Angels comparing him to what he used to be, they should compare him to their previous 3rd basemen’s productivity. His glove will be huge alone for the team as the Halos lack any steady defense, and any offense you receive from him would be a plus. As for the Cardinals, who have been looking to move the 3rd baseman for a while now, they have him for 2 more years and haven’t shown signs of contending with him. They moved on from their former MVP, Paul Goldschmidt, and they are very likely to move Arenado to his specific preference, as Angels were indeed on his list.
As 3rd base and starting pitching are on the top of the Angels’ offseason wishlist, these three guys would be perfect for a team that is in desperate need of a combination of leadership AND production. Whether the Angels actually go after these targets is a matter of will the organization take any big risks or stick with the same, unproductive plan. Now it will take some guts for the team to sign a big pitcher, but the free agent market lacks the big names as the Halos need a straight up ace. Even though the Angels have one of the weaker farm systems, they do have a few substantial prospects that could get a deal done for any of these guys.
A few questions will need to be answered this offseason amid the Angels trade decisions. First off, what is the plan for Taylor Ward? Or even Jo Adell? While Taylor Ward is a homegrown favorite and is close with the whole team, he needs to be traded while his value is still high. While Taylor Ward has been consistent for a longer span, Jo Adell had his first year of his full potential on display. Unlike Ward, Adell is the more complete player, hitting for a better average, faster on the bases, and a much better defender. Both outfielders consist of massive power (and lack contact) and both have interest from multiple teams. Will they both be traded? Probably not. But if one does get traded (probably Ward), the return needs to consist of a high end pitcher or major league ready talent, because the more complete athlete in Jo Adell is the reason that the Halos would be a little hesitant to trade him unless a package is presented that is irrejectable. Another question is who would the Angels be willing to part ways with according to prospects/young starters? Names that could possibly get thrown around in discussions are George Klassen, Denzer Guzman, and Sam Aldegheri. In a situation where a big trade is plausible, the names of Christian Moore and Caden Dana could rise to the surface, but the identity of what the Angels is and how much it is available for grabs is a big question mark for the organization.
If any of these three guys are brought to Anaheim, the Angels will grow much closer to a playoff team. They would fit in with the team perfectly and the teams they are on make the deal much easier to make as rebuilds are current in all three teams. The asking price for each is unknown, given the team’s situations, but the Angels aren’t afraid to pull off a trade due to the small amount of commitment that comes with a guy reaching the end of his contract. And the unpredictability of this team will show us fans whether they care about winning, could care less, or just hoping for the best with what they have. But time is running out, and there isn’t much of this team that is ready to contend. Significant moves will need to be made for this team to win, no doubt.
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