The Angels have been very active in the trade market so far this offseason. They’ve acquired utility man Gio Urshela from the Twins and power-hitting outfielder Hunter Renfroe from the Brewers.
Between the two moves, they’ve traded four pitchers in the organization, and have set themselves up to win now — but they may not be done just yet.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic picked some potential trade candidates for each team, and has four very intriguing options for the Angels:
“Gleyber Torres, SS; Bryan Reynolds, OF; Nico Hoerner, SS; Willy Adames, SS”
The Angels have a clear need at shortstop. Although that was somewhat resolved by the addition of Urshela, it doesn’t sound like he’s going to be playing that role on a consistent basis. The Angels would still love to acquire an everyday shortstop, and if they don’t feel like paying top dollar for one of the four All-Star shortstops on the market, they could acquire one via a trade.
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Gleyber Torres was an All-Star in 2018 and 2019. He’s spent his entire five-year career with the Yankees, and overlapped with current Angels manager Phil Nevin (and Urshela) from 2018-2021. Last year, he hit .257 with 24 home runs and 76 RBIs.
Nico Hoerner excelled in his first full season as a starter. The 25-year-old hit .281 with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs with the Cubs, who are looking to sign one of the top four shortstops this offseason.
Willy Adames has been a popular trade candidate this offseason. The Angels already swung a deal with the Brewers for Renfroe, so maybe they have another one in store. Adames hit .231 in 2022 with 31 home runs and 98 RBIs, and was one of the better shortstops in all of baseball last season.
Finally, Bowden brought up OF Bryan Reynolds as a trade target from the Pirates. With the addition of Renfroe, and Mike Trout and Taylor Ward manning the other two outfield spots, there isn’t really any room for another outfielder. Reynolds has been a solid player over the course of the last four seasons, but it wouldn’t make much sense with Renfroe in the mix.
Angels GM Perry Minasian has made it clear he’s not yet done making moves. We’ll see if he decides to pursue a shortstop through free agency, or if he tries to get one of these less expensive options through a trade.
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