Angels Articles

Jan 31, 2025 - Written by Brayden Zielke

Week 2 of our weekly Fanmail Friday Q&A Event is here. For those of you that weren’t here for Week 1, fans will be able to submit questions at any time for a chance to be featured on the weekly article. Fans will be notified on Thursdays via Instagram & X to submit their questions on our Google Forms link. We are hoping to have a different writer every week to answer your questions so you can get different insight from all of us here on InsideHalos.com! This is a fantastic opportunity to have your burning questions answered, gain insights into latest rumors or news, as well as spark discussions within our passionate community. Whether you're curious about players, team dynamics, or the future of the Halos, our Q&A is the perfect platform to delve into all things related to the world of Halos. Make sure you mark your calendars and submit your questions for us to be answered every Friday right here on InsideHalos.com!

Q: Is Ward Going To Get Traded? (@bigjohnny824_2) & Could You See A Ward Trade To The Padres? If So, Who Would The Angels Get In Return? (@ggonzales_82)

A: If you would’ve asked me this question a few months ago, I would have almost guaranteed that Taylor Ward would not be an Angel come 2025. I was very surprised that he wasn’t dealt at the trade deadline, and I expected him to be dealt sometime this offseason. Ward reportedly had interest from multiple teams, and he is under team control through the 2026 season, which made him a valuable trade piece. The only situation that I could see resulting in a Taylor Ward trade with Spring Training already underway is if the Angels manage to sign Pete Alonso. With Alonso holding down 1st Base, the Angels could move Nolan Schanuel to Left Field, which would likely result in Taylor Ward being moved to Right Field or being traded. The Angels could also opt to trade Mickey Moniak or Jo Adell, both of whom would be on the bench if Ward took over Right Field. If Taylor Ward was to be traded, the Padres are a really intriguing spot. Tirso Ornelas, who was the Padres #18 prospect in 2024, is projected to be the starting Left Fielder, and I’m sure the Padres are excited to get him on the field. Ornelas has shown to be Major League ready and I doubt the Padres want to block him from the lineup. However, Ward could serve as a mentor to the Padres young outfielders and could serve as the team's Designated Hitter. If this trade were to go down, I could see the Angels receiving Right Handed Pitchers Juan Nuñez and Francis Pena. Acquiring Henry Baez would be amazing, but the Angels would probably have to include a prospect or two to entice the Padres.

Q: Is There Anything Stopping The Angels From Spending Like The Dodgers? (@rjaykitch27)

A: Yes. His name is Arte Moreno. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t personally like Arte Moreno more than the next guy, but it's not really his fault, if you want to call it that. No other team is doing what the Dodgers are doing with their contracts. In the past, deferred contracts were on a player by player basis. There are a few notable examples of this, including Bobby Bonilla, who is paid $1.19 million by the New York Mets every year from 2011 through 2035. Manny Ramirez is paid nearly $2 million by the Boston Red Sox every year from 2010 through 2026. It is not uncommon for MLB stars to get deferred money on their contract, but the Dodgers are doing this at an unprecedented rate. From 2028 through 2046, eight Dodgers players, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Tommy Edman, Will Smith, Teoscar Hernandez, and J.D. Martinez combined to be paid over $1 Billion in deferrals. For reference, the team with the next highest amount in deferrals is the New York Mets, who owe $137 million. Many owners do not have the liquid cash, let alone the net worth to guarantee hundreds of millions of dollars to players in the future on top of running their team and signing new contracts. Moreno’s recent considerations to sell the Angels have to be brought up as well. Any deferred money on a contract would be on the shoulders of the new owner if Moreno were to sell the team. While this wouldn’t be an issue with a few smaller deferrals, building a player empire based on huge deferrals then attempting to sell the team could cause some issues.

Q: Are You Surprised That Perry Got An Extension? - Martin from Riverside

A: This is a super tough question to answer because I don’t really know how much control Perry Minasian really has. If I had to guess, Perry has more control over issues that have less to do with money, such as trades, drafts, and cheaper signings. The issues seem to arise with big signings. Either Arte doesn’t want to dish out big money or he is completely willing to dish out big money on the wrong move. I don’t think that Minasian is a superstar GM by any means, but I do think he did enough to keep himself around for a few more years. Since Perry arrived in Anaheim in late 2020, he has hit on ¾ of his 1st round picks, which is never guaranteed in baseball. I also really like some of the lowkey moves that Perry has made. This includes trading for Alex Cobb, signing Michael Lorenzen, trading for Mickey Moniak, and signing Carlos Estevez, to name a few. I am also a huge fan of everything that Minasian did at the 2024 trade deadline. Acquiring George Klassen and Sam Aldegheri from the Phillies for Carlos Estevez was an amazing trade, but it did make sense. The Phillies were looking to make a playoff push and needed a back-end reliever and were willing to pay a premium. However, Minasian also traded Luis Garcia, who was 37 years old and solid at best for the Angels, to the Red Sox. Boston gave up one of their most major league ready outfielders and 3 other prospects for Garcia, who struggled in 15 games for Boston, who ended up missing the playoffs. All that to say that Minasian has made some really solid moves, and I am not upset that he will be around for a few more years.

Q: What Realistically Is The Next Move? (@biggzzrivera)

A: Because we are already into Spring Training, there isn’t really much that I feel like the Angels could do besides sign another relief pitcher. I like the idea of signing Alonso, but it has been reported that the negotiations have been tense and nobody is close to a deal, so nobody should hold their breath. Jakob Junis has been really solid the last 2 seasons and I think the Angels could sign him to a pretty team friendly contract. The same goes for Scott Barlow, who has had solid numbers throughout his career but shouldn’t cost too much. Dylan Floro is worth mentioning as well. He is another guy with solid numbers still on the market. Obviously we aren’t limited to these three pitchers, and there are many free agent relievers worth considering to add to the bullpen.

Q: Do You Think The Angels Should Trade For Mason Miller?

A: While trading for Mason Miller would be a dream acquisition, I don’t see this happening in any way. Trading for Mason Miller would require the Angels to sell their top prospects and future to the Athletics. The asking price for Miller was so high that it was reported that many desperate teams were scared off by it. The Athletics would have a ton of leveredge if a trade were discussed and would want to use the star closer to build their team of the future, likely requiring 2 or more of the Angels top prospects. While Miller is an amazing talent, I don’t see him getting dealt anytime soon.

Q: How Will This Season Shape Up With The Newly Acquired Free Agents? (@massett44) & Offseason Grades? (@tonygonzo277)

A: I know that many fans have been upset this offseason, specifically because the Angels made all their moves early on and close to nothing since. I do think that the players the Angels have acquired will make an impact in 2025. The Angels lineup is looking really good, especially with the acquisition of Jorge Soler and top prospect Christian Moore on the horizon. I am really hoping that the Angels can stay healthy enough to achieve their first winning record since 2015, which would require at least 82 wins.

To finish off Fan Mail Friday, I am going to grade some of the Angels offseason moves…

Angels acquired OF/DH Jorge Soler from the Braves in exchange for P Griffin Canning: A-

I really like this move for a few reasons. For starters, Soler averages 31 home runs per 162 games, which is great for a team looking to improve their power numbers. We also gave up relatively nothing to acquire him. Canning was someone I expected to be non-tendered, so receiving Soler for him was a pleasant surprise. Canning ended up being released by the Braves after this trade, likely because they wanted to offload Soler’s contract and didn’t really want Canning in the first place.

Angels sign C Travis d’Arnaud to a 2 year, $12 million contract: A+

This might be my favorite move that the Angels made this offseason. d’Arnaud is a seasoned veteran entering his age 36 season. d’Arnaud will serve as a mentor and backup catcher to Logan O’Hoppe, who is a pillar of the Angels future. It is great to see the Angels investing in the future of the organization in this way.

Angels sign LHP Yusei Kikuchi to a 3 year, $63 million contract: B

Many fans saw this signing and wanted to go get an ace. At the time I already knew that he was our big starting pitching signing for this offseason. Kikuchi has been generally disappointing throughout his career, he was stellar for the Astros after they acquired him at the 2024 trade deadline. If the Angels can channel what worked for Kikuchi for the Astros, this signing should work out pretty well.

Angels sign INF Kevin Newman to a 1 year, $2.75 million contract: B+

While this isn’t a groundbreaking move by any means, Newman was a decent hitter for the Diamondbacks last season and should serve as a solid potential starter while Zach Neto is out with an injury.

Angels sign RHP Kyle Hendricks to a 1 year, $2.5 million contract: C+

Obviously this is a very low risk signing, but I don’t love having two of the softest throwing starting pitchers in our rotation this upcoming season. Because Tyler Anderson was never traded, I fail to understand the thinking behind this signing.

Thank you all so much for those who participated this week, if we didn’t get to your question or if you have any questions you want to submit to InsideHalos.com, please click the button to submit your questions for next weeks Fanmail Friday! Thanks and see you next Friday for more!

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