Part 1: Rebuilding the Angels Farm System (Selling Hitters)
Exploring potential trades for the Angels to restock their farm system by trading productive hitters on roster
What started as a hopeful season despite the loss of Shohei Ohtani quickly turned into a typical Angels season. Injuries riddling the lineup leaving a roster contaminated by replacement level players. I was among the seemingly small population of non-Angels fans that was excited about the possibilities of a potential playoff contender.
There have been organizational failures left and right, plaguing any possibilities for the Angels to succeed. A fresh start is needed. While tearing down is all good and plentiful, the player development needs to be overhauled. An organizational philosophy of player acquisition needs to be changed. The former is necessary for this organization to take a step forward developmentally. The ladder, (which I have been very vocal about to friends of mine), I believe will come this year since the Shohei Ohtani saga has dissolved. Now that there is not an imminent need for a playoff team to keep their star, the Angels have the opportunity to do things right. Draft the best players, take chances on guys they believe they can develop, guys that might take some time. Instead of drafting the first guys to reach the big leagues.
The talent of this farm system is fleeting for a couple reasons. One draft will not help things. Development is the real key to a successful draft. It is the key to your young players making strides at the MLB level. O’Hoppe, Neto, Schanuel and Moniak have not all taken the steps the Angels would have hoped. Which has thrown a wrench into this season.
A tear down helps replenish a malnourished organization, but will not make it healthy again. Organizational depth provides more margin of error. It allows greater opportunity to trade for established players without depleting the organization’s talent. Today, we are trading for the big pieces the Angels have to offer to reset this organization and redirect them towards October.
Taylor Ward:
This one is going to be a bit interesting. Before I provide the trade, I want to dive into the reasoning for this deal. I was looking for a team in a position to acquire an outfielder with multiple years of team control as opposed to a team like the Braves looking for a rental bridge until Acuna comes back sometime in 2025. This team is young enough but is thirsty for a playoff push to make a statement. Acquiring a player like Ward gives them a veteran slugger to deepen their lineup from 2.5 years. Otherwise, I have struggled to find a better fit, whether a team that does not presently look very competitive, or do not have a large enough outfield opening for multiple years to warrant paying the price for Ward. The return is a bit perplexing, but I want to get the best talent back the Angels can get, not just team needs. Now that the suspense has been built…here, we, go.
Royals Receive: Taylor Ward OF (2.5 years of team control)
Angels Receive: Ramon Ramirez C (No . 14 prospect per MLB.com), Gavin Cross OF (No .7), Carter Jensen C (No. 10)
Quick note on each of these prospects. Ramon Ramirez (19 y/o on 6/15) is a rising star in the prospect community. Speaking of team needs, the Royals have an equally young catching prospect in Blake Mitchell that they just selected in the first round. Carter Jensen, another catching prospect brings the high profile catching prospects tally to three. My educated guess is the Royals like Mitchell the most, leaving the other two as trade fodder. Jensen has been raking in A+ posting an identical strikeout and walk rates at 18% at just under 21 years old. Cross has experienced a resurgence in AA this year. The 23 year old has cut his K rate an encouraging amount to be the lowest of his pro career excluding the 3 complex games he played in after being drafted. Cross can run, play a corner outfield and has pop. Improving on the 12 home runs and 91 wRC+ in 94 games from last year raises hope that the pop will start bursting on the scene soon enough. Many people may say Cayden Wallace needs to be in this deal over a guy like Jensen. I’m not convinced with Wallace yet and he’s a whole year older than Jensen. If Jensen continues hitting the way he is, they could be on the same roster with Jensen being 11 months younger. I’m also not sold on any pitching prospects being a better bet than Jensen. I think this is a great haul for the Angels while one of these prospects could be used to acquire a big league piece in the future.
Luis Rengifo:
Since the second half of last year, Rengifo has only gotten better. In 2024 he ranks in the 90th percentile of wOBA at .374. An offensive second baseman is hard to come by. Many teams could use his services. However, despite the success of late, the batted ball and xStats for this year continue to be concerning or subpar. Rengifo might not be worth the cost the Angels are asking for a lot of teams. The batted ball difference of current second basemen and Rengifo might be too slim for teams to pay the price. There are two teams that really stick out to me. One, I don’t think Arte will approve a trade with. The other? Well lets just see what the mock trade says…
Red Sox Receive: Luis Rengifo 2B/UTL (1.5 years of team control)
Angels Receive: Luis Perales RHP (No. 9), Matthew Lugo INF (UR)
Luis Perales is a high octane arm with a plus fastball. A characteristic fairly unknown in the Angels system (aside from Ben Joyce of course!). The reliever risk is there but the impressive improvements he’s made in 2024 cannot be overlooked. Perales started 2024 hot. In 7 starts at just under 21 years old in A+, Perales managed an 8.6% BB rate. He’s filled up the zone while striking out more than ever to produce a career best (and outstanding) 31.0% K-BB rate. He made adjustments to his repertoire and started attacking hitters with more than just his fastball and slider. Those improvements have helped spark tons of success to start 2024. Not even the top pitcher in the farm system, Perales is a worthy arm in return for one of the better second baseman in the league this year. Lugo, has been a fast rising middle infield prospect that torched AA this year. He cut his ground ball rate substantially from 36.0% to 28.3%. His line drive rate was the beneficiary rising from 19.5% to 29.2%. Already with 11 home runs in 43 games, Lugo is showcasing proficient power (especially for a middle infielder) with the speed to swipe bags at the same time. Barely 23 and now in AAA, Lugo can be the Angels replacement for Rengifo by this time next year.
Kevin Pillar:
The Angels have an opportunity to make away with a king’s ransom with no one the wiser. Pillar has made the most of his time with the Angels replacing Mike Trout almost too well. The 35 year old is having the best stretch of his career. What better place to trade him than to a team that is familiar with him, with a dire need to replace an injured star of their own.
Angels Receive: Hayden Harris LHP (UR), Elison Joseph RHP (UR)
Braves Receive: Kevin Pillar OF
The Braves are able to get a fairly cheap rental outfielder to replace Ronald Acuna Jr. after his injury. The severe need for outfield help is going to help the Angels acquire two arms that could be impact relievers in the big leagues. Hayden Harris is a lefty with a unique profile, while Elison Joseph is a flamethrower that reminds me of Hunter Greene despite Greene being 5 inches taller and 60 lbs heavier (allegedly). While Joseph is listed at 6’0” 170 lbs, he looks bigger than that. Joseph has taken a massive step forward in 2024 cutting his walk rate almost in half. Impressively enough, his K rate has improved marginally. Additionally, his opponent batting average is the best of his career at the highest level he’s pitched. Harris has made similar improvements, only more drastic on the strikeout side. His K rate has jumped from 34.2% to 42.9% while lowering his BB rate from 11.6% to 7.1%. The stuff is there with these two, and the Angels have done a good job attacking stuff pitchers more recently with the drafting of guys like Ben Joyce, Cam Minacci, Caden Dana and the development of Jose Soriano, just to name a few
Outlook:
2024 has not been the year for the Halos, but it does not have to be a complete loss. Take advantage of the better players on the roster and sell at peak value. This can do wonders for setting the team up for years. Bringing competitive, and playoff baseball back to Anaheim, and Mike Trout. Ward is already 30, Rengifo’s fantastic on field success is conflicted by batted ball data suggesting a regression, and Pillar is 35 while playing like he is in his prime. There is a window to profit greatly, but the Angels need to pounce on this opportunity. While I broke down the hitters in this piece, be on the lookout for the pitchers soon to come.
Great article!