Opportunistic Halos spring for flurry of Deadline moves

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BALTIMORE -- The Angels had been reluctant to be full-blown sellers in recent years but under interim general manager John Mozeliak, they were opportunistic ahead of Monday’s Trade Deadline.

All told, the Angels traded away five players -- right-hander José Soriano, right fielder Jo Adell, and relievers Ryan Zeferjahn, Kirby Yates and Brent Suter -- for a haul of young talent that now includes the shortstop Arjun Nimmala (the club's new No. 2 prospect), right-hander Mason McGwire (No. 15 prospect) and catcher Jacob Cozart (No. 19 prospect).

They also acquired catcher/designated hitter Moises Ballesteros, who joined the roster on Tuesday and started at DH against the Orioles, infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr., outfielder Eddie Micheletti Jr., and right-handers Angel Rivero and Kyle Robinson. Ballesteros, 22, was ranked as a Top 100 prospect each of the last two seasons, while Alvarez, 23, was a highly regarded prospect with the Braves.

It’s a bit of a shock to the system for Angels fans, especially with the club parting ways with fan favorites like Soriano and Adell. But the organization needed an infusion of young talent and Mozeliak was given the authority to do what he believed was necessary to get this franchise on track. He said he’s been empowered by owner Arte Moreno and club president Molly Jolly to do what he believes is best for the organization in both the short and near term.

“What's been really impressive for me is just the amount of trust that I've been granted,” Mozeliak said. “Mr. Moreno and Molly, I feel like [they] have done a really nice job welcoming me and making me feel comfortable here, and allowing myself and the team I work with to make the decisions that we feel are most important to move us forward.”

So Mozeliak has been given plenty of authority in his role as interim GM, he’s still not ready to say if he’s going to continue in this role once his contract expires in December. He said the plan is still to hire a GM, but he noted that he’s enjoyed his time with the Angels and living in Orange County more than he expected. There’s also a chance he remains in an advisor role with the organization while also hiring a GM.

“I do think over the next few weeks, I need to get with Mr. Moreno and Molly to really kind of map out how we want to see the future really look like,” Mozeliak said. “Let's just recognize the elephant in the room, and that is going to be what do we really want leadership to look like moving forward? So allow me some time to get with them, and obviously once I know that, I'd be happy to share.”

With the Angels moving players under team control beyond next year like Soriano, Adell and Zeferjahn, it’s also fair to wonder if they believe they can compete as soon as next season or if they’re in more of a rebuilding mode. Mozeliak, though, said it’s also too early to know, especially before free agency. The Angels only have superstar Mike Trout ($37.1 million annually through 2030) and Yusei Kikuchi ($21 million in ’27) under contract beyond this year, so they do have some flexibility. They also saved roughly $5 million in salary with their trades.

“It really does depend on what we do in the offseason in terms of additions,” Mozeliak said. “But one thing we need to do here is to remain disciplined and patient to a process and not just try to rush some people to the big leagues just to show that they've made it. And if they're not ready and we're not ready to compete with that group, then that's where we're going to have to augment using more of the free-agent model.”

Trout, who has a no-trade clause, was also not discussed at the Trade Deadline, as Mozeliak met with him several weeks ago and it became clear he wasn’t going to moved. Mozeliak even allowed Trout into the club’s trade room during last week’s homestand to get a sense for his plan.

“He truly loves the game of baseball and so he was just curious of what this whole thing looked like,” Mozeliak said. “He's the face of this franchise, and from where I stand, we want to get this better for him and for others because our fans want to see winning, and that's the goal of what we're trying to accomplish.”