2026 was another year of the Los Angeles Angels missing the playoffs, but they could have had it worse. They could have been the New York Yankees, a team that expects to win the World Series every year but has come up short every season since 2009.
New York got dispatched from the playoffs easily by the Tampa Bay Rays, a small-market team with a fraction of the resources that the Yankees have. Now the Yankees must reassess where they’re at right now, which means they might be interested in trading some players away or letting some mainstays go elsewhere in free agency.
If they are, then the Angels should take advantage and try to acquire some of the players New York is looking to move on from.
3 Yankees Angels can acquire after New York’s playoff flameout
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Of all the Yankees who had a rough showing in the playoffs, Jazz Chisholm Jr. may take the cake. His batting average was .182, which is the same disappointing number he put up the last two postseasons with New York as well.
He made a mind-boggling error in Game 2 of the ALDS, which helped cost the Yankees that game and fans were booing him in Game 3. It may be time for a change of scenery for Chisholm.
He had a disappointing 2026 regular season with New York, hitting .231/.312/.399 with 19 home runs and 55 runs batted in which was a step down from the 31 homers and 80 RBI he had in 2025.
Now Chisholm is set to be a free agent and if the Angels actually want to contend in 2027 then maybe going after Chisholm is a good way to get a big name into the mix with the hope that a change of scenery will do wonders for him.
Heliot Ramos
New York acquired Heliot Ramos from the San Francisco Giants at the trade deadline and he did not live up to expectations. He hit .198/.309/.379 after the trade and was essentially benched in October after going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card series.
He’s only 27 and was an All-Star back in 2024 with San Francisco. He has power in his bat and even though he’s a substandard defender, he could help replace Jo Adell, who was traded away at the deadline.
David Bednar
The Angels had major bullpen struggles in 2026 and never really settled on a consistent closer. If they want to bring in an elite ninth-inning arm then they can’t do much better than David Bednar who had 35 saves and a 2.47 ERA for New York in 2026.
He’s set to be a free agent and will not come cheap, but if the Angels want to pony up and shore up the back end of the bullpen then he’s a great option.
Obviously, all of these would be “buy” moves for the Angels so these players would make sense if the Halos are looking to compete as quickly as possible under new ownership. If they want to rebuild instead then maybe they can sell players to New York like Zach Neto.
Stan Kroenke may want to see a quick turnaround though so don’t be shocked if some players who were on the Yankees in 2026 end up with the Angels in 2027.
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