MLB Rumors: Angels Have 5 Players Garnering Trade Interest

While the Los Angeles Dodgers have been out there spending literally more than a billion dollars this offseason, LA's "other team" has been pretty quiet thus far. The latest rumor out of Anaheim is that the LA Angels have five players in particular that have been drawing trade interest, according to Insider Ken Rosenthal. As follows:

Luis Rengifo

The infielder is a versatile utilityman and produced nicely wherever he played. He logged time at six different positions (everything but pitcher, catcher and 1B) and hit 16 homers in 394 at-bats with an OPS+ of 111. 

Taylor Ward

The outfielder has shown flashes of being a very productive player the past couple of seasons, but his 2023 came to a crashing halt when he was beaned in the face by a fastball, suffering facial fractures and missing the last two months of the season. He has three years of team control remaining. 

Mickey Moniak

Staying in the outffield, Moniak is a valued commodity as a left-handed hitter who produced 14 long balls in just 323 plate appearances with an .802 OPS. He's under team control for four seasons. 

Matt Thaiss

Thaiss was forced into regular starting catcher duties when rookie Logan O'Hoppe went down in the season's first month, and from late April until the end of June, Thaiss was one of the best offensive catchers in baseball. He slashed .290/.385/.420. That, of course, didn't last, and he finished the season dreadfully at the plate, with a .504 OPS after the All-Star Break. 

Jose Suarez

A left-handed starter who showed great promise in 2021 and '22 with a combined ERA well under 4.00. But he suffered from a strained shoulder last season and only made 7 starts, with an ugly ERA of 8.29. But the promise of his '21 & '22 plus three more years of team control has clubs inquiring. 

The Angels still have lots of work to do this winter, and any of these players could be used to bring in pieces they're looking for.

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