Time to Sell: Mets Sweep Exposes Angels’ Need for Rebuild
July 25, 2025 - Written by Jas Singh
Photo Credit : @Angels - X
After the Phillies series, many Angels fans can say that was likely the most confidence they had all year for this team to make a late surge to the playoffs. Even in Saturday’s late collapse at the hands of Kyle Schwarber’s grand slam against José Fermin, everything was going well until that 4 run 6th inning. Heading into the Mets series it was vital the Angels at minimum take 2 away from a team that as of late has been abysmal. Nonetheless, the Angels did what they normally do: they crumble whenever there is any glimmer of hope within the fan base. Game 1 on Monday was in my eyes the worst display of baseball this team has provided all year. Up 5-2 after amazing offensive games from Taylor Ward and Jo Adell this team absolutely handed runs to a struggling Mets offense. Should Ray Montgomery have kept Tyler Anderson in the bottom of the 7th against the 8th and 9th Mets hitters? Even if he didn’t there still isn’t much trust giving this bullpen 2+ run leads. Besides the fact the Mets tied the game. If we truly look at the 8th inning, that inning alone separates great ballclubs and the Angels. First Fermin walks the leadoff hitter Brett Baty, then Chris Taylor makes a terrible play in left field that if tracked correctly is a routine flyball, and lastly Yoán Moncada makes a great play on a short hop groundball only to make an errand throw. Great teams make those plays and put themselves in position to stop the bleeding and try to get runs on the board. Then in games 2 and 3 the bats went cold with a ton of bad umpiring. But, that is just Angels baseball for you.
Now the management must shift gears and maximize the players they have, to plan for a strong 2026 campaign. The first guy that should be dealt is Yoán Moncada. He’s an aging vet that has a sweet swing, but simply was a quick fix for a gigantic hole. He still has power and his numbers may not show it, but last I checked his OPS is still somewhere above .800. Taylor Ward is another guy that should be shopped. I am all for keeping one of the hottest hitters in baseball around, but only if the return they are getting is minimal. But, big market teams like the Padres might be willing to unload 2-3 near major ready prospects. Ward would likely seek a bigger deal in arbitration this winter and has the potential to leave the team after next season.
The rotation has held up till now, but clearly is a messy situation. José Soriano and Yusei Kikuchi are untouchable, but dare I say Minasian should listen to what teams offer. I would truly not want to deal the two as Soriano has been lights out on the road (needs to pick it up at home) and Kikuchi was a recent all star. The Red Sox have been rumored to have interest in Soriano, but he is the guy I envision as our future ace and the guy that this rotation should be built around.
However, if Boston truly wants a shot at him the talks have to be centered around guys like Marcelo Mayer or Roman Anthony plus more. Tyler Anderson is another name that was thrown around in trade talks dating back to last summer, however the Angels held on to him. Anderson hasn’t been lights out like Soriano and Kikuchi, but he’s been solid and on most nights will give you what's expected of him. Due to how bleak the farm looks in terms of another starter, I would deal him only if we can expect another starter in return. Unless this team is truly giving up on this year, only then would I make trading him a priority. The recovery to find another starter would be extremely rough as Caden Dana is clearly hurt and not ready, while George Klassen needs more time to find a rhythm in Double-A. Reid Detmers is always an option, but then you potentially risk him losing his groove and then tank your bullpen that’s inconsistent as is.
If Moncada gets dealt I think the team hangs on to Luis Rengifo. As of late, Rengifo looks more comfortable at 2nd and has been clutch at times offensively. But again it doesn’t hurt to listen to what teams like the Yankees have to offer. His bat is declining and there’s not anything set in stone about him being part of the future. An interesting player, if the team decides to completely sell and give up on trying to win, is Jorge Soler. His power has already been on display as of late and he is still an average guy to have defensively in left. His contract and strikeout numbers might scare away teams from giving away too much, but there is a chance a team bites and gives up something big due to his history in the postseason. I’d hate to deal a veteran guy like Soler who can put you back into games at times, but it’s something worth calling around about.
Similar to Detmers, Soriano and Kikuchi, this is a guy I’d never want to see leave the team. But, Jo Adell’s market is the highest it’s ever been. He is an anchor defensively and it feels like every other day he is either homering or coming up with a clutch RBI. Adell’s value to this team being only 26 should display that if teams want to make an offer they must call us first and have a haul that truly blows Perry’s socks off. Even then Adell should be the future cornerstone in center field with Mike Trout’s age and injury history coming into factor.
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