In a quixotic effort, I will now attempt to mock some trades between the Guardians and the Angels, who never trade anyone whom they should when they should.
The Angels should be rebuilding, tearing their
roster down the studs and starting over, but they are owned by a man who thinks he knows better than any front office person in Arte Moreno, so they rival the Rockies in terms of strange acquisition and retention decisions. For that reason, it’s truly impossible to expect the Guardians to be able to land either of the two players I will list below who should be eminently available, let alone the other one who would require a blockbuster return. However, there is no doubt the Guardians and Angels COULD match up well, so, just in case the Angels start making sense, here are some names and potential deals to analyze:
Trade One: Angels trade Taylor Ward, RHH OF, 32 year old (under control through 2026 at around $11M) to the Guardians for Logan Allen, LHP and George Valera, LHH OF
Analysis: I think I’ve been writing mocks for Ward to come to the Guardians on this site for six years now, so why not (at least) one more? Ward put up almost 3 wins last year with a 117 wRC+ and he has a career 128 wRC+/108 wRC+ vs. LHP/RHP. He’s a better fit in left field, but playable in right field. He would be a good fit in any of the 2-5 spots in the Guardians’ lineup. Given he is a rental, I don’t THINK it would cost more than this, but for any Angels fans reading this, please know that both Allen and Valera are real assets for me when I evaluate the Guardians. Maybe the Angels could negotiate their way into C.J. Kayfus for Ward, which would be fine with me as well. Allen provides the Angels with a reliable fifth starter and Valera a young bat who projects well as a strong-side platoon right or left fielder, which they could use.
Trade Two: Angels trade Jo Adell, RHH OF, 26 years old (under arbitration control until 2027) to the Guardians for C.J. Kayfus, LHH 1B/OF, and Yorman Gomez, RHP
Analysis: Given that Adell just hit 37 homers and is younger with an extra year of control, I’m guessing the acquisition cost will be more than what it would be for Ward, but I’d prefer Ward. Adell put up a 112 wRC+ last year but his 30.2/6.9 career K/BB% scares me. He has a career 105 wRC+ against LHP but did put up 155 wRC+ against southpaws in his breakout year last season. Adell fits well on the team as a guy who can play the corners and hit left-handers, but he probably isn’t playable in centerfield, so an additional move would likely be required. The Angels get two breakout prospects from 2025, and maybe they could negotiate their way into a higher ceiling pitching prospect like Josh Hartle or Joey Oakie.
Trade Three: Angels trade Zach Neto, RHH SS, 25 year-old (under team control through 2029) to the Guardians for Chase DeLauter, LHH OF, Ralphy Velazquez, LHH 1B, and Braylon Doughty, RHP.
Analysis: The Angels would be pretty unwise to trade a perennial 3-win shortstop, so it would take a huge haul to land Neto if they somehow made him available. This would hurt the Guardians but they would secure a middle-infield spot for years to come with a player Mike Chernoff once said the team really liked in the draft. Neto has a 109 wRC+ with a 24.6/6.2 K/BB% and is GREAT by Defensive Runs Saved (+26) and below average by Outs Above Average (-11) for his career. Overall, that makes for a defensively average shortstop who should hit 10-20% above average, which any franchise would DIE to have at the age of 25. So, in other words, for people who adore the three prospects I list above and are mad about the trade… don’t worry, it’s not happening.
The least the Guardians can do for poor little me is fulfill my six-year dream of having Taylor Ward on my favorite team and find a way to pry him away from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
