Fanmail Friday #4: Angels Win Predictions, Ward Trade Debate & Opening Day Concerns
March 13, 2026 - Written by Brayden Zielke
Grayson Rodriguez today vs. CLE: pic.twitter.com/2gDf8UkkK8
— SleeperAngels (@SleeperAngels) March 13, 2026
Hey everyone. My name is Brayden and I am one of the writers and contributors here at InsideHalos. I am super excited to dive into your questions, so let’s get started.
Q: Do You Think That Trading Taylor Ward Was A Great Move For Us? (@j_ji.zz)
A: When analyzing these situations, there are three categories in which I look at, and each has a question associated with it:
The Analysis (How does this trade look on paper?)
The Response (How did the team bounce back to fill the holes left in the roster caused by the trade?)
The Aftermath (How did the players involved in the trade play post-trade and what circumstances surrounded their performance?)
For this trade, we can only analyze the first two steps because we haven’t seen either player play for their team in competitive play yet. Let’s dive into the first two.
On paper, this trade is great for us. First, let’s address Ward. Ward had the best season of his career in 2025, hitting 36 home runs and 103 RBI, along with a 116 OPS+. However, Ward is entering his age 32 season and only has 1 year of team control before hitting free agency. Grayson Rodriguez, on the other hand, is only 26 and has 4 years of team control. He also has pitched with bone spurs for most of his career. Now that he is healthy, I think that the sky is the limit for him.
The response, however, wasn’t as great. The Angels acquired Josh Lowe to replace Ward in LF. He’s decent, but objectively worse than Ward. However, with Nelson Rada looming, it’s probably a good thing that we didn’t make a huge splash to fill LF.
Overall, I am really happy with this trade. Don’t be surprised when Rodriguez starts pitching like an Ace.
Q: What Would You Think Of Extending Kikuchi’s Contract? (@cain_r_99)
A: At this point, I don’t think it's a smart idea. We have Kikuchi secured through 2027, and he will be 36 at that point. While he was definitely good last season, he didn’t play well enough to show that he deserved an extension this early. If he is stellar in 2026, we can have that conversation.
Q: Angels Over Or Under 70 Wins This Season? (@bbunny0711)
A: Over Over Over. Last season was a dumpster fire. Washington went on medical leave halfway through the season, and Montgomery was completely lost. The organization allowed Jack Kochanowicz to struggle through the first half of the season, which more or less meant a guaranteed loss whenever he started. Our coaching staff wasn’t great. While there were some positives, there were absolutely more negatives. We still walked away with 72 wins. With a better coaching staff and a significantly better rotation, I believe we will win more games than we did last season.
Q: Biggest Concerns Approaching Opening Day? (@tonygonzo277)
A: I think my biggest concern at the moment is the bullpen. We have multiple relievers coming off down years in 2025 and other relievers with significant injury issues. We also don’t have a sure closer and some insider information I received points to the Angels potentially having a closing committee and basing each game’s closer on matchups and rest, but this report is unconfirmed. Regardless, the bullpen could be great, or it could be a mess. Only time will tell.
Q: Does Klassen Make The Rotation Out Of Spring Training? (@ggonzales_82)
A: I don’t think so. While he has had an outstanding spring training thus far, I think he will start the season in the minors. However, if Alek Manoah’s struggles continue with him into the regular season, we could see Klassen sooner rather than later.
Q: Is Winning A Top 3 Priority? (@mateonikeair111)
A: No. Obviously, I’m kidding. Winning is, and always will be, the highest priority.
Q: Who Do You Think Will Fill Up The Remaining Roster Spots? (@juane_the_great)
A: With 5 Starting Pitchers, 8 Relief Pitchers, and 9 in the Starting Lineup, that leaves 4 spots open. Obviously, Travis d’Arnaud will take one of those spots as Logan Ohoppe’s backup. Oswald Peraza is on fire this spring and can play every infield position, so he makes it. I also think Chris Taylor makes it. He’s a veteran locker room presence and has experience at every position besides 1B and C. For the final spot, it’s between Jeimer Candelario and Vaughn Grissom. Grissom has struggled this spring and doesn’t really bring anything to the table that would justify giving him a roster spot. Candelario has played better than Grissom this spring and has experience at 1B. So in conclusion, this is what I believe the 26 man roster will look like:
SP Yusei Kikuchi
SP Jose Soriano
SP Reid Detmers
SP Grayson Rodriguez
SP Alek Manoah
RP Kirby Yates
RP Drew Pomeranz
RP Jordan Romano
RP Ben Joyce
RP Robert Stephenson
RP Brent Suter
RP Ryan Zeferjahn
RP Sam Bachman
C Logan O’Hoppe
C Travis d’Arnaud
1B Nolan Schanuel
1B/3B Jeimer Candelario
2B Christian Moore
SS Zach Neto
3B Yoan Moncada
UTIL Oswald Peraza
UTIL Chris Taylor
OF Josh Lowe
OF Mike Trout
OF Jo Adell
DH Jorge Soler
Thanks again to everyone who sent in questions for this week’s Fanmail Friday, we really appreciate the engagement and the great discussions it creates within the InsideHalos community. Keep the questions coming, because this series is built around you, the fans. Be sure to check back next week when Cade Lalim will be taking over Fanmail Friday and answering your questions. ⚾
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