The Trade Deadline Dilemma: What Should the Angels Do With Adell, Detmers, and Soriano?
June 22, 2026 - Written by Jas Singh
The Angels plan on keeping Reid Detmers, Jose Soriano and Jo Adell with Arte Moreno not wanting to trade them, per @BNightengale
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) June 21, 2026
Adell is under team control through the 2027 season, while Detmers and Soriano are under control through 2028. pic.twitter.com/aT2Ps7NzSE
After a small hiatus due to graduating as a student-athlete and moving on to graduate school, I am so excited to be back writing for this wonderful page and amazing fans amidst another typical Angel season. Many fans, myself included, had distinct hope that this franchise could at least build on the bleak hope the team had last year before the All-Star break, even if it didn’t establish a winning season. However, unfortunately for us, the season seems like it has ended in May, and the dog days continue in June. One gleaming bright spot so far has been the young core in the starting rotation and outfielder Jo Adell, who is putting together an all-around stunning 2026.
As recently reported by Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Arte Moreno has expressed zero interest in dealing José Soriano, Reid Detmers, or Jo Adell. In reality, we expect nothing less from beloved Arte, but is keeping the rotation intact possibly a good decision? Do we realistically try and bring back Jo Adell?
First things first, as much as I love those guys, completely shutting down listening to offers is utter nonsense. Tracing back to when talks about trading Shohei Ohtani amplified, the Rays were willing to dump superstar Junior Caminero and more in return for half a season of Ohtani. None of these guys are Shohei, but teams get desperate to compete once the All-Star break hits. The Angels are in no position to entirely ignore trade offers and should listen to what teams can include for three pieces that could bolster an already competitive team.
With the fast-track movement of the team, most of these top prospects acquired in a haul could make an impact quickly and allow us to form a similar recipe to what the Athletics have done with their roster.
You can trace Reid Detmers's emergence from his bullpen stint last year to his no-hitter in 2022 to his strikeout rate in 2026. Detmers has amazing off-speed stuff, including a wicked curve that generates elite swing-and-miss rates.
Tarik Skubal is another name that has been floating around the trade market since the winter. However, in some teams' eyes, Detmers could be more valuable being a younger arm with those extra two years of control while only making a little over a million dollars. This return haul could be substantial and include several organizational top 10 prospects while giving rise to a farm system that hasn’t even cracked the top 20 in several years.
Now, there have been reports the Angels want a Skubal-like return, which is certainly unrealistic and can even make teams hesitant to inquire about Detmers. This is something the Angels need to tread carefully on; on one side, you stay strong on his value, but on the other, do not set a ceiling that is unreachable.
As much as the idea of Detmers’ return value intrigues me, you hate to trade a piece the Angels have been needing for years. I cannot remember the last time the Angels had a young rotation I was confident in for any given series. Detmers has an elite pitch arsenal and good control, which is vital for a ball club looking to continue a progressive rebuild while treading toward contention.
The Angels have been rebuilding since 2015, and at some point you have to lock down the young talent you have. I would argue that even with a haul of amazing talent, I still do not have much trust in this organization to develop it. The Detmers situation is extremely sticky, and my final verdict would be to keep Detmers unless you get an offer you simply cannot pass up.
Soriano's power arm is precisely the type of profile that often attracts contenders. Whether viewed as a starter or high-leverage reliever, his velocity and raw stuff give him legitimate trade value.
In his first five or six starts, Soriano looked like a Cy Young candidate before he eventually cooled off a little bit. There were rumors last year and in 2024 about the Red Sox trying to acquire Soriano, while even adding a solid haul in return. Pitchers with premium velocity carry injury risk, and some organizations prefer moving hard-throwing arms before that risk materializes. If the Angels can acquire a young position player or multiple prospects, trading Soriano could make sense.
Soriano, similar to Detmers, is a guy I would hate to deal with amid his amazing season. The Angels have spent years searching for power arms. Soriano is one of the few internal pitchers with real swing-and-miss stuff.
His upside may be greater than the return he would currently command. A big three with Walbert Ureña, Detmers, and Soriano could be a great start to a continuous rebuild for the team. Not many arms can make the jump and fit into Soriano’s spot anytime soon, aside from guys like Tyler Bremner or Caden Dana, who are still a long way off.
The team has a group of these 6-8 arms like the guys mentioned and not including a Grayson Rodriguez or George Klassen that allow the team to spend money elsewhere in free agency.
We saw potentially one of the best defensive games ever from Jo Adell earlier this year, and those home run robberies alone put Adell on the map. After a couple seasons of inconsistency, it feels like Adell has finally put all of his stellar attributes together. A big 2025 on the offensive side has fueled another strong season here in 2026.
Elite bat speed and middle-of-the-order power combined with an above-average arm will definitely push some playoff teams to acquire Adell in order to boost their offense. Outfield is the one position the Angels have some serious upcoming talent in. Guys like Nelson Rada and Raudi Rodriguez are having great seasons in the minors and could get called up if the team trades Adell.
If the front office believes his value may never be higher than it is now, trading him could be the smart business decision.
Besides having a bobblehead night this year, the biggest reason to keep Adell is simple: power like his is difficult to replace. He has finally begun showing stretches where he looks like an everyday major leaguer, and the Angels have invested years into his development.
Trading Adell now could create a situation similar to what happened with players such as Brandon Marsh, where the Angels move a talented young player only to watch him flourish elsewhere. At 27 years old, Adell still fits the timeline of the club's young core. With several years of control, that team has a good sense of the future of the outfield.
Out of these 3 pieces Adell is the most likely to be moved, but his return won’t be as favorable. Adell could possibly attract one MLB-ready reliever plus a prospect or a controllable bench/infield piece. A top 100 prospect is likely out of range unless a team is desperate for a middle-of-the-order bat.
My verdict would be to deal Adell with the right offer and try to acquire young relievers that can make an impact soon.
If the Angels become sellers, they should prioritize moving short-term veterans rather than pieces of their young core.
Jo Adell: Available, but only for a solid return.
Reid Detmers: Keep and continue developing.
José Soriano: Keep unless overwhelmed by an offer.
The Angels have spent years trying to acquire young, controllable talent. Adell is the most expendable because of the organization's outfield depth and his inconsistent production. Reid Detmers has too much strikeout upside to sell low, while José Soriano looks like the kind of power arm contenders spend years trying to acquire.
Unless a deal clearly improves both the present and future of the franchise, the smarter move is betting on the talent already in Anaheim.
