DEAL OR NO DEAL: Los Angeles Angels Could Move Jo Adell or Taylor Ward | Will They ACTUALLY Do It?

DEAL OR NO DEAL: Los Angeles Angels Could Move Jo Adell or Taylor Ward | Will They ACTUALLY Do It?

A potential trade of Taylor Ward or Joe Adell is now greater than 50% this off season. [Music] You are Locked on Angels, your daily Los Angeles Angels podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Thanks for making Locked on Angels your first listen of the day. We got word yesterday that the Halos are considering trading Joe Adele and or Taylor Ward. So, we’re going to respond to that. And our everydayer shared their GM moves and we’re going to read and react to all of your general manager decisions and answer if we think any of those moves will actually happen this off seasonason. Before we talk about the Angels, we want to thank our sponsor, FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet $5. And if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Download the FanDuel app today. Thanks for being here for this episode of Locked on Angels, where it’s your team every day. You’ve got the Fresh Brothers here with you, aka the Super Halo Bros. My name is John and that’s my brother Mike and my name is Mike and that’s my brother John. Hey, we’ve been talking Angels baseball with you for the last four seasons every Monday through Friday here on Lockdown Angels. It’s our hope that you leave here a smarter fan, a more engaged fan of the team that, you know, is not always easy to be engaged with, but there’s a lot of stuff to talk about in the off season. In some ways, Mike, I think the offseason can be more fun than those dog days of September, right? And for the last 10 years, it has been, right? Yeah. No kidding. So, we’re happy that you’re here again. We hope that you leave a smarter and more engaged fan as an everydayer here on Lockdown Angels. Mike, uh, something very surprising but yet maybe not so surprising came up in the news yesterday. John Morosei talking about the Angels on MLB Network, wasn’t he? Yeah. He said, “I would say a better than 50/50 chance that they move one of their significant veteran outfielders, talking about the Angels, and he specifically mentioned either Joe Adell or Taylor Ward.” And isn’t it wild that Joe Adell is the vet significant veteran outfielder now? like, man, that’s crazy. Yeah. He added that the Phillies would be the most likely trade partner for the Angels because of their outfield need. I mentioned that on my GM episode if we did trade Taylor Ward for an right because they are losing a lot of their outfield and they didn’t perform well and Taylor Ward had a overall war last season greater than the entire Phillies outfield and so that’s that’s in the conversation. Go ahead. Meanwhile, I just got a comment on so I posted your GM episodes uh your graphics for the players that you wanted to trade for. Right as you said that, I got a comment on Instagram that says, “No way that trade makes sense for bomb.” That’s funny. There you go. All right. Not like somebody who’s way smarter and more engaged and tuned in than us. Like John Morosei said that it was a deal. So there you go. John, this is an interesting conversation because you mentioned it. Uh we’re not surprised, but we are surprised. We’re we’re surprised that the Angels would even consider trading anybody because these are the guys that they wouldn’t get rid of during the trade deadline last year because they were obviously quote unquote competitive, right? We’re not surprised because we think and a lot of everydayers think that there’s value in Taylor Ward. I’m a little surprised that Joe Adele’s name came up, but I think that you have to at least listen on that. Now, our our buddy at Inside Halos, uh we got to hang out with him at the Oh Hobby Bowl, Brian, he he said some really interesting things on Twitter. He talked about how Roger Lodge of all people is is kind of the the voice for the front office in some ways. And so he went back and looked at the last couple of years when Roger tweeted something and then what happened next. And every time Roger tweeted something, there was some sort of commotion or decision that was made. And Roger Lodge’s response to Morosce’s comments was, “Yeah, duh. Obviously, of course they’re gonna listen, right?” Kind of in a sarcastic kind of mocky sort of way. I I agree with him in the sense of like, “Yeah, of course the Angels are going to listen.” Sure. But should they make this this deal, John? That’s the bigger question, right? Yeah. The bigger question is, should they make one of these deals? But also, Mike, it’s never been greater than a 50/50 chance when it comes to moving Joe Adele or Taylor Ward. In the last three seasons, we’ve talked about, hey, Ward’s value never been higher. Let’s get him out there. Let’s dangle him. Let’s see what you can get for him. And this is the first time that I feel like somebody went out and just said like, there’s significant possibility that either one of these guys gets moved. Are they in conversations all the time? Absolutely. Does it come from people like John Marosi all the time? No. It’s more speculative. It’s more, you know, kind of like what we did with our GM episodes of, “Hey, what if what if my favorite team did this?” And I’ve seen a lot of that even from other lockdown uh baseball MLB hosts asking about maybe Joe Adele or Taylor Ward. Lots of speculation. And that’s great. And that’s that’s what we do and that’s stuff that we kind of hope takes place sometimes. But for Morrosi to say a greater than 5050 chance, that’s still 50/50. Maybe it’s 6040, right? Maybe it’s 55, 35 or 45. I mean, all that to say, this is the first time that it’s been like the chips have been pushed in that far, if that makes sense. So, I think that’s why this kind of set off some alarm bells. Now, does it make sense to trade them? Absolutely. It totally makes sense to trade them. one for Taylor Ward. It’s what we’ve been saying for years now. The value will never be higher. And somehow I feel like perhaps his value is at its peak now considering kind of power season had even though he’s had more well-rounded, better seasons in the past. I think that people will look at the production that he was able to put up on an Angels team that didn’t have a lot of guys for him to drive in with home runs and things like that and go, “Oh, we could use that. We need some thump in our outfield.” Kind of like what JD Hern of Lockton Cardinals said. They need some thump. They need a an outfielder who can hit some home runs, a righty. And I think that Taylor Ward makes a good fit there. but also with the Phillies, as you’ve said, it makes a lot of sense for them to be interested in him. When it comes to Joe Adele, now that’s a whole different conversation because you finally got I don’t want I won’t say 100% of what you were hoping to get out of Joe Adele when he was a top 10 prospect in all of baseball, but you definitely had a career year from him. You definitely saw his potential unlocked. You definitely saw him figure some things out at the plate. My struggle is one, I’m a big fan of Joe Adele, but two, it’s like, man, you just got what you wanted out of him this past year, and I don’t want to move on. My fan heart doesn’t want to move on, but there’s never been a better time to trade him because every time Joe Adell has come up in conversations in the past, I remember uh Peter, the former host of Locked on Marlins, was like, “Hey, maybe Joe Adell needs a change of scenery and he should come to Miami.” And Peter rightly pointed out all of Joe Adele’s metrics, the hard hit metrics, the barrel rate, all that stuff to say, “Dude, when this guy hits the ball, he hits it really well. He just has trouble hitting the ball.” Well, that’s what we’ve also said here on the show. And that’s what we came to found out this season. When he hits the ball, it’s real, real good, Mike, but he’s got to hit the ball. And that’s most of the Angels, right? So, I say all that because the tune has changed on Joe Adele. The conversation has changed. on Joe Adell from, yeah, he could be a good bounceback. Uh, maybe he could be a good change of scenery guy to, oh, this is a guy we want on our team. So, at this point, Joe Adele’s value has never been higher. So, I think it kind of makes sense at least to listen on these things. Now, will they go for it? Will they uh make the trade? That is TBD. And that’s where I’m not so confident that the Angels will do anything. However, that greater than 50% chance does intrigue me. What about you? I think for the Angels, I think that they’re not going to make these trades because they’ve operated the same way in the last 10 years, the last five years, especially with Perry Minos. We we would change all of a sudden, right? We’ve said it over and over again. Fiscal Angels, they’re not thinking future. If they were thinking future, both of these guys are traded this off season. And here’s why. Joe Adell, young career year, good defensively if you put him in right field, great on the base path when he’s healthy. John Joe Adell is a great piece for a team to trade for and you could get three prospects. You think I think prospects? Yeah, one one top prospect and maybe a a top maybe two top 10s and a top 20. I think you could get a good amount of of players coming back for a Joe Adele because still under contract for a couple of years, right? Arbitration. Yeah. And he brings a lot to the table, not just offensively, but defensively. Taylor Ward, I don’t think nets that big of a catch when it comes to minor league guys. When it comes to prospects, I think he does get you somebody if you go prospects in the minor leagues. Now, the Angels won’t do this because they’re not rebuilding. They won’t admit to rebuilding. And I think what you just said about Joe Adele is probably how they feel. We’ve waited for this guy to blossom into Joe Adele. And now he’s Joe Adele. Now he’s the guy, right? He’s one of the faces. We We put a banner up for him. Like it doesn’t mean they can’t take it down, but there’s a banner up for Joe Adell, right? He’s one of the pillars of this organization. To trade him away seems very antithetical to what the Angels are trying to do or what they continue to try to do. and that is compete every single season. Now, I hear all the everydayers typing away right now in the comments. Well, they should because and I’m with you. They should because Yeah. It’s not that you would disagree with trading him. It’s that you’re you’re looking at it from the angels perspective. Let’s look at history and say here’s what the angels have done. Yeah. And remember, my posture is this. I’m folding my arms. I’m looking I’m waiting. I’m going to see what they do. I’m going to see what they do. Right. And I actually would not be too broken up if they traded one or both of these guys. Yeah. Because I think if they traded one or both of these guys, they could get some good pieces and they could restock the minor league system. They could restock the major league system. Maybe they get a Logan Oppo type of player like they did with Brandon Marsh that could come and immediately start having an impact on the field at the major league level and not cost this team so much. Maybe they get a pitcher that could not cost this team so much, but could is ready to to to to jump and to pounce on the major league roster of another team, but there’s somebody in the way or they want them to marinate a little bit longer. for the Angels. They’re going to put him at the major league level and that might be incentive for them to make a trade. I just don’t think that they’re going to do that because that has not been their rhythm, especially under Perry Manasian’s regime over the last 5 years. Yeah, it’s interesting to me that at this point, considering how the Angels take it yearbyear, they want to compete. Mike, I really don’t think it it would be prospects. I think it would be ready ready now players. It would be, you know, you mentioned trading Taylor Ward to get Alec Bow and including Sam Bachmann in that. I mentioned on my show the Jorge Cair plus money plus a prospect to get Mitch Keller. I could almost see a one for one of Mitch Keller for Taylor Ward, right? It would be that kind of level. Now, maybe you need to add in some some sauce, right? You need to add in some players. But what I’m saying is that’s the kind of move I think that they would use Joe Adele for and the kind of move that they would use Taylor Ward for. I wouldn’t see them getting almost ready now prospects that are are on the comeup. I think that they would try to get guys who have been in the majors that are ready to do it to do this right now. Right. This won’t be surprising for our everydayers, but if I had to choose, I would say Taylor Ward because if they’re going to try to be competitive, I think Joe Adell adds more value to this team on both the offensive side and the defensive side. So, I would say I would say Taylor Ward. Plus, with the length of time that you have Joel under contract versus Taylor Ward. Not that I dislike Taylor Ward at all. If the Angels can build this team and be competitive this year, then then keep Taylor Ward because he was such a valuable piece for us last season. The other question that I would have is who’s more likely to have a season that doesn’t match what they did last year? And my gut says, John, that if I had to choose, it would probably be Taylor Ward because his numbers were so so much better than they were the previous season and he won’t have the same hitting coach and he won’t have the same approach. And I think that because Joe Adell is a bit younger, I think Joe when he makes contact has proven to be very effective on the field. Now, I’m I’m not the Taylor Ward lover. Apparently, I’m the Taylor Ward hater, but I think that if we had to choose, if I had to choose, I think we we’re seeing the growth of Joe Adele and what we saw from Taylor Ward was his peak. Do you disagree? Yeah, I completely disagree. I would say that Joe Adele is probably the more volatile one to not put up a season similar to what he did in 2025. And I think Taylor Ward, what’s interesting here, Mike, is that Taylor Ward had a terrible batting average. Yeah. And he had terrible a terrible slashline in that sense, but the results in terms of hey, most doubles on the team, um, you know, second most home runs on the team, uh, over 100 RBI’s, right? Those are the results I think people are looking at. So, if Taylor regressed from that and had something more like he did in the prior three years, you know, barring the injuries, he would have had some pretty great 162 seasons, right? But between those two, I I actually really disagree. I think Joe Adele is the more volatile one where I’m like, boy, I really hope he does this again or it’s some version of this again. He’s improved every year. He has taken a step forward every year. He hasn’t regressed. He’s improved, especially from the last two years. So, he’s improved. I think he’s finally getting it together between, you know, between the years and I think he finally is starting to understand his talent and what he can do at the plate, too. He’s Oh, for sure. And I think a part of what we will see with with with Joe Adell is that if they give him right field and tell him this is where you’re going to be at. I think that that’s actually going to settle his soul a bit and allow him to just be the player that that he knows he can be. All right, that’s a lot on Taylor Ward and Joe Adell. So, we want to hear your thoughts as well. But thanks for making Lockdown Angels your first listen of the day. Coming up, speaking of your thoughts, we asked our everydayers, what would you do as the GM? Well, we’ve got a really great intricate one in segment two and then we’ve got a handful of GM moves in segment three and we’ll get into those conversations coming right up. The NBA is back and there is no better place to get in on all the action than with FanDuel. They are the official sports betting partner of the NBA. And even if you miss the start of the game or you want to ride the hot hand, FanDuel has live bets on everything from who’s going to score next to fourth quarter comebacks. Plus, you can even combine your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout. It just keeps getting better and keeps every game really exciting, especially when you’re watching your favorite team make a push at the end of the game. Right now, FanDuel is giving new customers $300 in bonus bets when you make your first $5 bet. So head to fanduel.com to sign up and play your game with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. This is the Lock on Podcast Network, where it’s your team every day, and we thank you for making Locked on Angels your first listen of the day. Of course, you can check us out wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find us on YouTube to watch the show or on your smart TV as well. I always enjoy those photos we get of people watching us on their TVs and I’m like, uh, is that what I look like? No, I’m just kidding. Uh, but we also invite you to get into the comment section on YouTube because that’s where a lot of our everydayers hang out. We have conversations there. We go back and forth. Some good comments today on social media too. Locked on Angels on Twitter, Super Halo Bros. Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Tik Tok as well. Wherever you like to social your medias. John, we had some everyday share their moves with us and they had some really great decisions and really great strategies. My favorite was actually Dr. King Schultz from Speaking of Speaking of great everydayers who were in the YouTube comment sections, Dr. King Schultz uh just always has great insight when he uh jumps into the comments. So, he actually went with our rules and he said, “I’m not going to pick up anybody that you guys picked up just for the sake of providing something different.” So, he has a few moves. So, we’ll read them one at a time. We’ll read his thoughts and then we can respond. And John, his first move is trading Taylor Ward along with Cash or the infamous player to be named later to the Reds for Brady Singer. And he said at first glance it will look weird to trade Ward for a guy that will be a free agent after the 26 season. But if we’re really getting a lockout, it kind of plays into Arty’s hand to not pay someone in 27. He is in several ways similar to Mitch Keller, but the fact that some of Singer’s advanced stats either stayed the same or actually improved despite pitching at the Great America Ballpark gives me hope that he could improve in Anaheim or the Great American Small Park as they like to call it because that is a hitters park all the way. Now, he said for the Reds they need a power bat in the outfield. Ward could be that solution. He said, “I added cash or a player to be named later since the Reds announced that they’re not planning to increase their payroll and Ward is projected to get more than Brady Singer.” John, what do you think of that move? You know what’s hilarious is I racked my brain on Taylor Ward for Brady Singer straight up because they both have expiring contracts after this year. And I ended up using Taylor Ward for my Brendan Donovan trade because uh um I I think that I I really wanted Donovan, but to to be honest with you, I really I was going back and forth on like, man, does do I send Taylor Ward to Cincinnati for Singer? Do I put him in the Brennan Donovan trade? Do I send him to the Pirates for Mitch Keller? Like, it was I I was I just threw away my notes from the other day. But I I kid you not, this was a legit trade that I was thinking of. So, shout out to Dr. King Schultz on that one. I wouldn’t hate it, Mike. I think that it makes sense for both teams. I don’t even think that you need uh a player to be named later, but probably the cash to offset, you know, what the Reds want to do with their money. And like King Schultz said, it’s going to be Ward a little bit more expensive than than Singer next year. But yeah, he’s very he’s he’s right. It’s it’s Keller and Singer are very similar, but those underlying numbers in Cincinnati stay the same, which is very impressive for a ballpark like Cincinnati. How about his second move? Uh signing Kazuma Okamoto Okamoto, sorry, five years, 100 million. He said, “I know Murakami is the more hyped player, but Okamoto can hit for average and power. He’s got a hitting approach that could work really well in Angel Stadium. a good defender compared to Murakami’s high home run, high strikeout mindset. We already have enough players of that mindset, which I’m glad he said that. Uh the question mark is if Murakami can play third base at the MLB level. The gamble we need to take is that we don’t know how uh Okamoto will handle high velocity since the NPB doesn’t have many high VO pitchers. I would also structure his contract with several options each year to limit the risk of a lame duck uh contract. His third move would be to sign Chris Basset one year 15 million. He said I think Basset fits really well in a veteran role and can get you to the sixth inning with maybe three or four runs. He showed that he’s willing to go to the pin if needed. His fourth move, John Caleb Ferguson for one year, five million. Really solid lefty that could fill the gap of Andrew Chaffen. And then he had a fifth move and he said it’s not going to be a very popular one. Why don’t you share it? Yeah. He said, uh, bring back Renifo on a short-term deal like one year 10 million. Dr. King Schultz said, I know this sounds and probably is terrible, but the free agent market for utility guys looks awful and I’d rather take something I know before going through the Kevin Newman experience. Again, I actually agree with that. Like if if it comes down to it and you need a utility guy, like bring back the guy you know versus the guy you don’t know and then he ends up being super terrible like Kevin Newman was because all indications from Kevin Newman were, hey, he’s going to be a really good bench piece and he’s versatile and then it just was awful and maybe he didn’t mix well with the coaching. I’ll be interested to see where Kevin Newman lands next season and how he performs. But Mike, one of the things that really jumps out to me, I do like the signing of Chris Basset. I know he’s a little bit older, but that one year 15 million, I think that that would be an excellent move for this kind of rotation. They to me, they would still need to get a starter that is like, oo, I like that. And on the on the level of a Kikuchi because that’s kind of where they play, but a Basset, that veteran presence who’s still very capable on the mound, that one jumps out to me. What do you like most about Dr. for King Schultz’s GM moves for the offseason. I like the Brady Singer trade. I think that that could be a really key addition to the Angels starting rotation. And I think when you have Chris Basset, you could be your fifth starter and then if he doesn’t work out, he’s going to go to the bullpen. He’s okay with going to the bullpen, but also he’s a veteran that I think could really impact this starting rotation and give room for a Kaden Dana or somebody else. Maybe it’s a better version of the Kyle Hendris move from last year, but Chris Basset is is more recently been successful than Kyle Hendrickx was when the Angels brought him over brought him over. And then I like the I like the Okamoto move. I I I really like that that thinking out of the box. Those those players that are coming over from from the Far East, like especially from the MPB uh MPB. Yeah. Um, I I there’s something about them that that are intriguing and I think if the Angels are going to infuse their roster with talent via the free agent market, I think that that’s the way to go, John, because they’re going to have to spend a lot of money for players and and as a lot of people said in our comments when we did our shows, they were like, “Yeah, you’re going to have to overspend for some of these guys to convince them to come to Anaheim.” I I’m not quite sure that fully is the case. Um, I know it’s an easy push back. I know it’s an easy critique of the Angels. how you’re going to pay for D. Right? But people are going to show up wherever they want to show up. They’re going to offer them a a position and they’re going to give them a a I think a reasonable amount of money. Right. I think part of that is the, you know, the taxes in California, too. That’s also a hindrance. Yeah, that is true. That is very true. But I think outside of that, I know that the critique is more of the Angels organization. I think somebody like like a like a Okamoto is going to be a good move for the Angels. And I like that that Dr. King was uh Dr. King Schultz was talk was thinking out of the box here and so I liked I like those first two moves man. I think that they would really improve the Angels and I like that he went with our rules and decided to not pick the same players. Yeah, I appreciated that too. But man, I just the fact that we were on the same wavelength with the Brady Singer trade I think is huge. The final thing I say is this. Get Brady Singer who Mike has just been like he’s one of those Royals pitchers. I know he’s with the Reds but before that with the Royals. He’s one of those Royals pitchers that just like has never Oh man, I I don’t think he’s hit his peak yet. And if you got him around Mike Maddox, I really would be intrigued to see what Mike Maddox could do with Brady Singer and see if he could really unlock his full potential. Today’s show is brought to you by our friends at Prize Picks. It’s the daily fantasy app where making the right call can actually pay off. You and I, we make decisions every single day. But on prize picks, being right means that you can cash in. And with football back, prize picks is the simplest and fastest way to get in on all of the action. Just pick more or less on two to six player stat projections, and you can turn your takes into real prizes, all in less than 60 seconds. So download the prize pick app today. Use our promo code locked on MLB. You’re going to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. Again, promo code locked on MLB for $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. Price picks. It’s good to be right. We’ve got some quick hitting GM moves from our everydayers that we received on Instagram and Twitter and in the YouTube comments. So again, be part of the show. Get in the comment section because we we read every comment. We don’t always get to reply to every comment. We do our best, but we definitely read all the comments, especially the ones that are mean about me and Mike. No, I’m just kidding. Uh Vinnie wants to sign Kazuma Okamoto as well. Mike, he also said, “Sign Michael King, sign Louisa Rice.” He said, “I know he has his problems, but we need a contact hitter and a left-handed bat. Sign Brandon Woodruff.” And then he agreed with you. Sign Trent Gisham. So, thought those were some interesting picks. Brandon Woodruff’s intriguing to me because he’s back from injury where, you know, he came back about halfway through the season for the Brewers and then he opted out. So, it seems like he’s going to try to find something more than $25 million a year. That’s risky to me considering where he’s been the last year and a half. When he’s on and healthy, he’s great, but I I worried about how well he would hold up. Mike, yeah. uh from YouTube, Stafford’s Discount Carpets. That’s their username. Uh they I gotta stop by. I gotta stop by and get some discount carpet. Heck yeah. They want Imanaga, who did opt out of his his contract with the Cubs, he said, or they said, not sure if it’s boy or girl, uh three years, $22 million. And then Tyler Molly agreed with me, $15 million for three years. Kenley Jansen, they would bring back for two years, 13 million. Miguel Anduhar, two years, 6 million. Cedric Mullins two years 7 million obviously to play center and then they would bring back Chris Taylor a year $2 million total payroll would be 235 John it’s under the luxury tax and that’s six players yeah adding some depth you got a center fielder you got another infielder you got your closer and you have two starters what do you think Imanaga I love the guy but Mike the way his season ended in 2025 five dealing with shoulder stuff, dealing with injury. I I don’t think that he’s going to provide the innings that the Angels would need for that amount of money. And wherever he goes next, like I feel like he’s going to get paid very well. Actually, you know what I think? I think he’s going to end up on a bounceback deal. So maybe that does play in the angel’s favor where he’s like, “Hey, I got to get out there and prove myself again and show everybody that I still got it.” The risk you run is that about I was just looking at it earlier, I think nine of his 20 some odd starts were five innings or less. And to me, I’m like, we we can’t have an expensive Kyle Hendrickx. No. And that’s not to say that Shota is as good as Kyle Hendricks. He’s way better. But the problem is is that I can’t have Shoto Ianaga just go in five innings that often or five and two/3s, right? Especially when you’re relying on him to be one of your main arms in the rotation. And so and and and this isn’t to, you know, attack Stafford’s discount Stafford’s discount carpets, right? Uh that’s not to attack them. It’s I’ve seen Imanaga and his name all over Angel social media in terms of fans asking about him, wanting him, saying, “Sign him.” I I can’t take that risk. And and if we’re going to abide by the rules that we’re playing with here, yeah, I just don’t think that he provides enough innings. So far, maybe that changes in 2026 and maybe he does get that bounceback deal. Maybe the bounceback deal is with the Angels, but a long-term deal that’s really expensive. That one I I I question a little bit. Hey, how about our bowling buddy, James Pack? We got to hang out with him for the second time this year at the Logan Hoppy All-Star Bull. He said, “It’s kind of hard to get competitive teams with a one-year or with handing out one-year contracts. The best bets possible with a restriction of a one-year contract that can help the team are, in my opinion, Hassan Kim, Micsty, hey, Mel Kelly as a starting pitcher, Chris Basset, there he is again bringing back Yuan Mata.” And then Cedric Mullins again he said I considered age war versus productivity and probability to take a prove it year or a past his prime contract. So I like what James did here. He’s like if I’m going to think like the angels and you know we have a one-year timeline with Suzuki and Perry Manasian and the lockout then I’m going to give out one-year deals. Yeah. And I’m going to give them out to guys who are past their prime slash still relatively productive. I really like the approach that he took there. Yeah. And then Steve G, who is always watching and he watches us when the premiere happens, watches us live. We appreciate that. He said, “My moves are basically signing a bunch of one-year contracts.” So, he followed that same line of thinking. He would trade Taylor Ward for Brett Batty and then sign the following players to one-year deals. Miguel Anduhar, he would get Chris Basset. So, there he is again. He was impressed with him in the World Series. Then he could be a reliable swing man. If it takes two years, he would still do it. Then he would fill up the bullpen, John, with Devin Williams if they can’t resign Kenley Jansen, Mike Finnegan, Ryan Stannic, and Hobie Milner. All these free agents, one-year deals, all these moves fit within the budget. What are your thoughts? I think he means Kyle Finnegan. I think he means that, too. Yeah. Yeah. Nationals, then Detroit. I think Kyle wants to stay in Detroit. So, we’ll see what happens there. Mike, I racked my brain actually on Devin Williams before I landed on Riceella Glaciius. remember I couldn’t sign Mike’s picks and so he signed Kenley so I was like all right what closer can I get Williams is interesting because there it was so odd what happened to him in New York a lot of it had to do with the amount of inherited runners that were allowed to score also the runners he put on base always seemed like they came around to score however he got away from the things that he does really well he’s got this incredible change that he really got away from. Also, I think he just found himself in situations that he really shouldn’t have been in. When when JD and I were hosting game night, we would laugh at like, well, there’s Deon Williams again blowing it for the Yankees. And then Brian, of course, from Lock on Yankees would be like, Aaron Boon needs to go. He’s fired. Like, Devin Williams sucks. All this stuff. And I just it it I I think it was situational. I think it was the circumstances under which Devin Williams was playing. Even when they got two more closers, Mike, they they got uh the Giants closer, they got the Pirates closer to go with Devin Williams for the Yankees at the trade deadline, they all kind of stunk. It was it was just really weird. So, I don’t know what changed there, but I think Devin Williams is going to figure it out. So, yeah, I think that he’s certainly an option for closer. I know that if we did sign him, people would probably hit the panic button because they know what he did in New York, but I say go back to what he was doing with the Brewers in Milwaukee over those seasons. I think that he would be an excellent addition. Mike, uh, out of all the everydayers of Steve G, uh, James Pack, Stafford’s Discount Carpets, Vinnie, and then Dr. King Schultz. Who wins in your opinion? Man, I I really I’m gonna lean back to Dr. King Schultz because he gave really good explanations and I liked his trades. I liked his out of the box thinking, but if I’m going to give a number two, I’m going to give it to Stafford’s Discount Carpets because six players and you’re still under the luxury tax. That’s a brilliant strategy. They should not be listening to us. Maybe they need to call Staffords. You know what? Call Staffords for your discount card. I’m going to go with James Pack because he’s doing he’s doing the thing that the Angels will do. It’s one-year deals for all these guys past their prime that are still relatively productive, but it’s like bulk, right? And I think that’s what’s key. It’s a bulk amount of pitchers and players that are going to fit within the Angels timeline and their one-year window. So, I think I pick James’ just because to me it’s probably the most realistic out of all the options that have been listed, including RGM episodes as well. Thanks for sharing your GM decisions with us, and thanks for making Locked on Angels your first listen of the day. Be sure to like and subscribe while you’re here. It’s the best way to stay updated on all things Angels throughout the entire offseason. Hey, be sure you give us a follow on Twitter, Locked Angels, and Super Halo Bros. Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok. Mike, tomorrow we gotta put on our ties and hop into court, don’t we? Yeah, I’m I’m uh on the video side. I’m pushing the the dynamite TNT. Are you the Acme Wy Coyote pushing Acme blowing up the Angels organization after what I’ve learned from the Scaggs trial? Why Arty will still be the owner after all of this? No matter what the outcome in outcome is, it it’s it’s beyond me. If Frank McCort can get kicked out as the Dodgers owner because he was going through a divorce and and wasn’t being able to spend money and mismanaging some things, that was a blip on the radar compared to what’s coming out in the Scags trial and we’ll talk about all of that tomorrow on Locked on Angels. All right, friends. We hope you come back and join us for that. Until then, my name is John and that’s my brother Mike and my name is Mike and that’s my brother John. All right, for all the sickos who love this team and all the everydayers who like to watch and listen, we’ll see you back here on Friday. Jonathan Coverland for the defense.

The Los Angeles Angels face a potential shakeup as trade talks heat up for outfielders Taylor Ward and Jo Adell. With industry insiders suggesting better than a 50% chance of a move, could the Halos finally retool their roster and build for the future? The Phillies and Reds emerge as possible trade partners, raising questions about which veteran outfielder holds more value and what a bold deal might secure for the Angels.

Mike Frisch and Jon Frisch, the Super Halo Bros., break down fan GM strategies, explore trade scenarios involving Brady Singer and Kazuma Okamoto, and assess the impact of possible one-year contracts for Chris Bassitt, Cedric Mullins, and other free agents. The conversation weighs the Angels’ short-term competitiveness against the need to rebuild, opening debate on whether Perry Minasian will defy his usual pattern. Will the Halos finally make the moves needed to transform the team’s future?

#angels2025 #angels #angelsbaseball #gohalos #repthehalo

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0:00 Intro

0:19 Angels 2025 Season Issues Overview

4:03 Angels Offensive and Pitching Stats Breakdown

8:31 Addressing Lefty Heavy Rotation Concerns

11:58 Trading for Mitch Keller Discussion

13:14 Jorge Soler Trade to Pirates

18:43 Evaluating the Mitch Keller Trade

20:38 Trading Taylor Ward for Brendan Donovan

24:27 Donovan’s Impact on Angels Culture

28:43 Paul Goldschmidt Platoon at First Base

31:47 Final Thoughts on GM Moves

33:15 Listener GM Challenge for Tomorrow