The Angels have acquired left-hander Andrew Chafin and right-hander Luis García from the Nationals, per announcements from both clubs. The Nats receive left-hander Jake Eder and minor league first baseman Sam Brown in return. The Halos designated left-hander José Quijada for assignment to open a 40-man spot. Eder was on the 40-man, so his departure opened another.
Chafin, 35, started the year with the Tigers on a minor league deal. He opted out of that deal and signed a major league pact with the Nats at the start of May. He was been with the Nats since then, apart from a brief IL stint for a hamstring strain. He has thrown 20 big league innings this year, allowing 2.70 earned runs per nine, though with less impressive metrics under the hood. His 42.1% ground ball rate is around league average but his 20.5% strikeout rate and 13.6% walk rate are both subpar.
His longer track record is more impressive. He has 528 1/3 big league innings with a 3.39 ERA, 25.7% strikeout rate, 10.2% walk rate and 47.8% ground ball rate. As recently as last year with the Tigers and Rangers, he was able to post a 3.51 ERA with a 28.5% strikeout rate, though also a high walk rate of 12.6%.
García, 38, signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers in the offseason. He made that club’s Opening Day roster but was released in early July and landed with the Nats. Between the two clubs, he has a 4.10 ERA, 19.5% strikeout rate, 11.3% walk rate and 54.6% ground ball rate.
Like Chafin, he has a long major league track record. García has thrown 565 1/3 innings in his career with a 4.14 ERA, 21.3% strikeout rate, 10% walk rate and 54.5% ground ball rate. He’s been with the Angels before, having pitched for them in 2019 and the first half of 2024.
Neither pitcher is likely to be a huge difference maker. Both of them were available as free agents during the season. Still, it perhaps suggests the Angels are at least doing a soft buy. The Halos are four games out of a playoff spot, which is a tough spot to be in terms of making a buy/sell decision. But the club generally prefers to go for it when they are close and they haven’t made the playoffs since 2014. Franchise icon Mike Trout is about to turn 34 years old and increasingly injury prone. He’s hitting well this year but mostly limited to designated hitter duties.
It’s somewhat understandable that the club may want to do right by Trout and make an effort to get him back to the postseason for the first time in over a decade. The odds are against them, however. FanGraphs currently gives them just a 5.3% chance of making it in. Baseball Prospectus is even more pessimistic, putting the Halos at 2.4%.
Adding Chafin and García won’t increase those odds very much but the club does have a poor bullpen. Overall, the club’s relievers have a 4.96 ERA, which is better than just three other major league clubs.
It’s also theoretically possible that the Angels are going to flip other players, such as Kenley Jansen or Reid Detmers, with Chafin and García having been brought in to backfill the bullpen with veteran arms. Though the most straightforward read on the Angels right now is that they are looking to make some buy-side moves without really harming themselves in the long run.
Neither Eder nor Brown is a massive price to pay. Eder was once a notable prospect but his stock has fallen in recent years. He underwent Tommy John surgery in August of 2021 and hasn’t really been able to get on track since then. He has 20 1/3 big league innings with a 4.87 ERA, 18.4% strikeout rate and 11.5% walk rate. He has a 6.41 ERA in 229 minor league innings since the start of 2023. The Angels got him in a cash deal earlier this year after he had been designated for assignment by the White Sox.
Brown was a 12th-round pick in 2023, who is about to turn 24 years old. In 92 Double-A games this year, he has a .244/.350/.358 batting line and 117 wRC+. He’s not listed among the club’s top 30 prospects at Baseball America or MLB Pipeline.
It’s a perfectly sensible move for the Nats. Chafin and García were midseason pickups who are impending free agents. It makes sense to cash them in for whatever they can get. There’s no harm in taking fliers on Eder and Brown to see what happens.
For the Angels, they are apparently attempting to bolster the club. Perhaps more moves will follow before tomorrow’s deadline. For now, they haven’t given up anything of significance. In a sense, that won’t really hurt them if they fall short of the playoffs again. On the other hand, they could be passing up an opportunity to add talent to the system.
In the past, they turned down opportunities to sell notable players. Shohei Ohtani was the most notable example. Instead of trading him for a prospect haul in 2023, they held and also added players. They flipped Edgar Quero and Ky Bush for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López. The club then faded and put Giolito and López on waivers in August. This move doesn’t rise to that level but it’s possible the Angels are yet again betting on a team that’s not quite good enough. They have reportedly drawn trade interest in Taylor Ward and Jo Adell. They could have shopped Jansen, Detmers, Tyler Anderson, Yoán Moncada and others. It seems unlikely that they are taking that path. Time will tell what their full deadline approach is.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that García was going to the Angels and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first had Chafin. Passan added that Eder was one of the players going to the Nats in return. Rosenthal then added Brown’s inclusion.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Arte will never learn.
Chilllll, we gave away the worst player on our team and a non top 30. This is brilliant.
Agree. People going to rip just because the Angels did something.
It’s called “competing” people!
No, it’s called sentencing your team to years of mediocrity with a series of bad decisions.
They just traded for 2 bullpen arms that didn’t improve the bullpen. Thats not something that’s nothing. They should be trading high value pieces to add talent and depth to pick from in the minors.
I was worried until I saw the return, and we got zeferjahn for garcia last year. At this point everything is a win, and they need some bullpen help. So win-win. Im guessing this means they aren’t selling which is stupid.
The move by itself in a vacuum isn’t bad. They received some bullpen help, which they need and didn’t give up anything. However, this means they are going to hold on to all their trade chips rather than get some compensation and put them in a better position for next year.
This is a continuing problem with the team. Arte’s delusion will never allow the team to get better. You would think they would learn after holding on to Ohtani to the bitter end and receiving nothing rather than a large haul. Sometimes you need to punt. If the Angels were a NFL team, they would be the one team that goes for every fourth down. regardless of the situation. Right now it is 4th and 27 and here we go again.
2 relievers for free. Only downside is they probably won’t be selling but what rentals do they have to sell? Anderson wouldn’t return anything worth losing sleep over.
If they have a good week or two that will make them more $ a d if they somehow get in playoffs that’s some real $ there. If they can’t get top 10 prospects for their rentals they might as well contend. Draft odds don’t matter either because even if they get a top pick they will just take someone they could get later.
Its not even clear they wont be selling. If they trade Kenley they now wont have Fermin or Eder doing leverage innings. This is a win win win.
In Perry we trust.
@bkbk You say it isn’t clear if they wont be selling.
Once you been a fan long enough, you become familiar with Moreno’s Law. Moreno’s Law states “Whatever should’t be done, will be done”. It has been like that for over 20 years now.
They traded Rendon?
Why?
My guess is motivation for the team. Eder and change is not much to give up and they’re telling the troops to get after it. They need to sweep Texas tonight to stay relevant and this may help the motivation.
That being said, if they lose tonight, I would scrap as much as you can and focus on 2026. All expiring contracts gone and maybe Ward (if the return makes sense).
2 decent veteran relievers for free. ? Is why not?
Why is Anaheim buying ? Lol. They made a move before the Cubs
The pitching market is just opening up. That’s the Cubs zone.
4 games back. Big market. Keep things interesting for fans. Fans say sell now but if they win next 3 games or go 4 and 2 5 and 6 you will be hopeful and excited.
Won’t gain much by selling. What huge in demand players they have? Padres thirsty for Ward but would Angels not want him next year? They passed on the best player in draft at least the last 2 years so they can’t identify talent enough to regret not trading.
Agreed that there is not a lot of demand for their players, and/or the offers weren’t worthwhile.
The ONLY player that would fetch anything of importance MIGHT be Jansen, and he has been adamant that he did not want to be traded. (Not that he has any rights regarding this, but still…)
Because Arte is trying to compete. Ohtani leaving them for the Dodgers and winning a WS was a major blow that franchise. Honestly, if they had league average starting pitching, they’re in a WC spot right now. They’re still within striking distance of a WC spot and Trout is healthy. This makes more sense (from an Arte/Angels mindset) than it does trading Adell & Ward.
Completely.
Couldn’t disagree more. They need to sell now to continue building. They have pieces – Ward, Rengifo – to offer other clubs which could garner solid prospect return.
They should’ve sold Ohtani and remade the franchise but foolishly they were buyers and within a week of the deadline passing they were out of it and the best player in baseball walked for free.
Apparently Arte’s incompetence wins again.
Didn’t they get a Comp Pick?
I’m not saying what they’re doing is wise what I’m saying is this in character for the way Arte & the Angels operate. Ward is still controllable after this year. They can always move him in the winter or next year. Rengifo might get a lottery ticket but he isn’t bringing back the package you think he is. The Angels aren’t in that bottom 5-7 teams level bad either. At least they’re picking a direction instead of treading water.
Can you imagine how Caminero and Baz would look alongside the existing core?
If they kept Quero?
The infield would be set for a decade.
Baz has been inconsistent and Ky Bush is currently injured, but at least they would have had, along with Mason Albright, young starting pitching depth, which is presently nonexistent.
The 2023 trade deadline had a major impact on this franchise.
It will be just like last season. In less than a month, the Angels’ now less than 5% chance of making the playoffs will turn to zero and they’ll waive Jansen, Anderson, Rengifo and Moncada, as well as Chafin and Garcia, to save a couple million bucks. All those free agents to be, other than maybe Moncada, would have brought back at least something (and greater payroll relief if sold earlier). It has got to be awful to be an Angels fan. Moreno wants to win, and he’s willing to spend money to do so, but teams like the Guardians and Rays, whose owners don’t spend, have a plan and execute it. The Angels are clueless and there really is no hope for them.
go back to the Bronx!
What a moronic statement.
#1 it was NOT last year
#2 they would NOT save “millions” none of those players are playing on a high $$ contract
#3 the year they did that, it was to save to get themselves below the luxury tax threshold so they would not be penalized in the next draft.
How ’bout you educate yourself before coming in and saying something stupid.
Agree 1972. When you come on a teams thread and insult the team, at least get it right.
jumps: “Ohtani leaving them for the Dodgers and winning a WS was a major blow”
Me: Only because the Angels passed on some ridiculously good trade offers from teams to rent Ohtani. Instead of bringing in a great haul, we burned what little we had left of the farm system in a futile attempt to get Ohtani to stay. Ohtani is not stupid….he knew it wasn’t going to work that season and it was just going to weaken the team moving forward.
jumps: “if they had league average starting pitching, they’re in a WC spot right now.”
Me: And league average fielding would be nice too. But the team has neither. Put that with our exactly middle-of-the-road runs per game and you get a losing season. Magic isn’t real.
jumps: “They’re still within striking distance of a WC spot”
Me: Well, Fangraphs puts their chances of earning a WC spot at just over 3%. and that’s better than three other teams in the AL. So, no one can deny there is a chance!
jumps: ” and Trout is healthy.”
Me: Trout is doing so much better and it is fantastic to see. But this team hasn’t won a single playoff game even in Trout/Ohtani MVP seasons. It’s a team sport that relies on the current roster and the farm to compete.
jumps: “This makes more sense (from an Arte/Angels mindset) than it does trading Adell & Ward.”
Me: The Angels don’t like to go into “sell” mode in order to keep up the hopes of fans like you, which keeps those turnstiles turning (and revenues flowing).
They didn’t buy. They scooped a couple of pennies out of the “take a penny leave a penny” tray.
Hmmm..Are the Angels actually looking to buy?
Probably not but it’s still sad they made a deal before some other contenders did.
I mean..they’re only 4 GB in the WC. I could see Arte getting excited, and trying to go big.
They’re competing and this will help. Hopefully the next move is in the starting rotation.
They’re not a good team
They’ll end up losing like 12/15 games and send all their guys to waivers to save money but get nothing back.
Agreed.They did this before with Gritchuk, Renfroe, Moustakis. Names that don’t blow you away but that’s not the point. It’s just about making a notable effort.
@vandilioff. They traded garcia last year for zeferjahn, kavadas, lugo, and some single a prospect. They traded eder that was a waiver wire pickup and a middling prospect in a bad farm system. They still won, because chafin is usually decent atleast he consistent.
They are going for it. I just have a hard time a team with a 60+ negative run differential being competitive.
It would be unprecedented.
It doesn’t appear to be a bad trade, but I would rather them be sellers.
@halo11fan. I guess we find out soon enough, but this could be to cover the loss of Jansen and Anderson. With detmers sliding in the rotation.
Laughingly, I have no idea what this team is doing. You could have given me 20 guess, and I wouldn’t have guessed their draft pick. .
In 48 hours I’ll have a better idea.
@Halo11 – I don’t see it as going for it. I see it as not throwing in the towel, getting a couple of pieces without selling the farm, and seeing how it goes. I like what they did… and more importantly, what they didn’t do.
@oldhalo. Yeah foul territory said it was to let the young core learn to win as a team(mostly aj). They added two bullpen pieces not flashy, but decent enough. Just hope if arte fires perry he brings in vet minor league coaches, and gets a decent scouting department. You cant get into a gunfight with a spork.
@Rexhudler86. I know that I am in the minority here, but I hope they don’t fire Minasian. This carousel of managers over the last decade has been ridiculous. You can’t establish any continuity or sustain a path to build on. I actually see it as one of the major issues with the team. New leadership, new direction every few years, broken management below in the lower levels, lack of buy in from legacy management, etc…. I have seen more progress under Minasian than what I have seen with the prior GMs in a while which tells me that he is getting contributions and buy in from other staff. But… you just don’t know with Arte. This may very well be Minasian’s last year…. and the cycle will continue.
@oldhalo. I agree about minisian, he’s atleast hitting on the first round picks with no tools. He’s definitely not the worst gm since arte took over. Dipoto was close, but I think he wanted out. I say let him go til his contract ends, and let Montgomery manage for a year. After that time to change stuff up, and I’m fine with not signing big free agents need to build up the system. If preller gets fired time to pounce. He drafts very well besides his stupid trades when he goes all in. Can’t think of a gm that’s drafted as well in the last decade
It would have been nice to trade a couple of these guys last year, but we have been painted into a corner.
Not much to do.
Old Halo, I’m not sure you are in the minority. That’s what is so frustrating for me.
@halo11fan. He was saying to not fire perry. You are on the side with a pitchfork asking for his head. Because statcast and draft reports 5 years ago told you.
Yes, I’m on the side with pitch forks wanted his head.
And I’ve been very clear why, It’s beneath you to attribute absurd reasons to me.
Last year worst record in Angel history. This year a minus 66 run differential and a farm system that a laughing stock of baseball.
He’s been here 5 years, I think it’s nuts not to hold him accountable.
Also, getting in the weeds, his moves have sucked.
@halo11fan. Ok so try this question out do you think Moreno will hire someone more competent?
More competent? To me, that’s such a low bar, I’d have to say yes.
But I doubt he will hire a GM that is so good it will turn this team around.
Now if you are saying Moreno is inept because Moreno is such a bad owner. I would say that theory doesn’t fully stand up. Arte may get heavily involved in big moves, but I doubt he’s heavily involved in the horrible small moves.
Regardless, I don’t understand how anyone can think Perry has done a good job. The only argument for him seems to be….Blame it on Arte.
@halo11fan. Has arte hired anyone competent. We start grasping at straws, and create a pile of crap and less crappy. He deserves the blame just like neto is a DH with his 5 range that’s 4 less than volpe with his 19 errors and going to get demoted, but all hail statcast.
@Halo11fan and Rex – Rex, I agree with you on Dipito. I definitely think that he wanted out too.
Halo11 – In the last 10 years I have seen one GM after another get bashed in, and ultimately let go. Given our options over the last 10 years, who would you have liked to have seen in there still? Who do you think could have stuck and turned things around?
I’m going to get all over the place here….
I thought that the team intentionally tanked towards the end of last year. Starting players were shut down to avoid injury, or worsening injuries, minor leaguers were brought up and that showed in last year’s record. That was my observation. We weren’t good enough to win but we weren’t actually as bad as the record showed because management made intentional decisions that would ultimately influence the win and loss column. It irritates me to read articles or to hear people emphasize on how bad the record was last year, and it makes me think that they weren’t following the team because if they were they would understand why the record got to be so ugly.
The team itself isn’t good enough to win a championship this year, but they are headed down the right path. They have taken some series from some very good teams, teams that will be in the playoffs, and teams that might actually win the world series. This is a notable change from recent years.
You just can’t change everything around instantly, it takes time and given the shape of this franchise, it will take a couple more years to come back, I think.
I know this is hard for people to believe, I did not bash DiPoto or Eppler.
I have very low opinions of Mike Port, Tony Reagins and now Perry Minasian.
I typically understand what a GM is trying to do. I have no clue what Minasian is doing.
Since he has no success doing what he has been doing, combine that with my belief that the vast majority of his moves are imbecilic, my opinion of him is very very low.
@halo11fan. Did statcast rank perry’s IQ below 5.
Statcast doesn’t rank IQ. Most things involving physics on a baseball diamond though.
Ignoring physics is like ignoring gravity.
@halo11fan. The earth is flat and neto is a DH
Oh, so once again you use hyperbole to distort. Not a shocker.
Out of the 11 AL shortstops with 300 PAs, he’s 7th in WAR and wRC+.
Out of the 16 with 300 innings, he’s 15th in defense.
So the data supports my opinion, challenges yours so you delve into the realm of the absurd.
On the internet, I call that a Tuesday.
Not looking. Read the article at least the title they did buy. Already bought.
I don’t think the Angels are done. I think there is another trade coming. Maybe Anderson gets traded.
If you would pull the plug now and sell sending a message we don’t believe in you-this team is fighting. Let them play.
Agreed. They are 36-30 since May 15th. That’s the 8th best record in baseball since then.
Yes they started poorly. However, people forget that the Halos played a hellacious road schedule to start the season, which likely (if you believe the academic studies) affected their performance.
Once they got their sea legs underneath them, they’ve been fairly decent. The team you see now is not the same team we saw then.
A little bit of bullpen help could help immensely, too, as the Angels had leads in 5 of their 6 losses since the All Star break.
The odds are stacked against them, but they have little to sell, so I see very little harm in tweaking the roster, even if it’s a long shot.
The odds Chafin and Garcia end up on waivers in a month are probably like 70%
Wrong.
Right.
70 80 sounds right unless they do something big. Seattle Houston Texas aren’t likely to just sit back and do nothing.
Angels made the before September salary waiver claim dump famous and it was a great decision so no reason they wouldn’t do it again if 5 games out or more.
Bro, wait till they see Eder. Wrost player on the team.
If anyone can recognize “worst,” it’s us Nats fans.
A number starting with a 7 is probably too low.
jdgoat You were never good at math were you
This is such a bizarre trade. It makes no sense for the Angels to be buyers….but they gave up very little. The Nats are obviously sellers, but feels like they could have gotten a better return for Chafin.
Only 4 GB in the WC, and if they see their bullpen as being the biggest issue? Why not get a couple of cheap relievers..
I will be honest, my first reaction is always, “What are the Angels thinking??” But this seems like a reasonable trade more and more now for them and the Nats could have gotten more I would have thought. You’re right. It’s a couple solid relievers, but giving up basically nothing for them.
There you go !!! 👏
I had the exact same thought process Cart.
I watched Sam Brown a lot in college. I hated that 23 WSU team haha. Garcia could end up on waivers basically a third time this year still, but the Angels lose basically nothing if neither reliever works out.
The trouble with the Angels is that they do exactly what fans want. No rebuilds. No selling off of big names. Always willing to spend to make the team better. It’s a shame baseball doesn’t reward that like it rewards super-tanking like the Astros and Orioles have both done.
I always laugh when people start off saying I will be honest. Are you saying you are not honest unless you say that?
Not making too much fun of you, but I do get a chuckle when someone says that.
I’ll be honest, I usually say that when I want to retract part of my former statement haha
Honestly….that makes sense
The Angels are the Bulls of MLB. Living in purgatory and refuse to take a step or two back in order to then take 3/4 forward. I suppose it’s better than being a Pitt or A’s fan, but it sure would be frustrating. And, what in the world are the Nats doing? They got nothing for two solid arms.
Far from a bizarre trade. The Angels have been hovering at .500 all season long and just a few games behind the WC. The Angels gave up nothing (Eder had been awful and Brown will likely never see the big leagues) for a couple of veteran arms that should bring some stability in the pen, and neither is making any money.
This trade doesn’t mean the Angels will be buyers, which is probably the point of your comment, as they can still trade away Kenley Jansen for a decent return, then go with a closer by committee that included Chafin and Garcia.
@orange2001. Two relievers sets up a Anderson trade. Detmers can start. Hopefully they trade rengifo maybe they can pry candelario from the Yankees for a piece of gum. Its possible it’s a one foot in and one foot out approach, and let’s see if the kids can still get comeback wins.
Rex, is Detmers built up enough to start? I thought he was pitching in short relief. He would need to be built up to a minimum of 65 pitches before he would start a game. Perhaps this has happened as I haven’t followed the Angels closely of late.
@angels nl west. He’s not, but they can have him go three innings until he is. This trade isn’t really showing their cards just got two relievers better than most in the bullpen currently for nothing. Dodgers might take rengifo freidman scouted him in Tampa, and has tried to get him before. I think it’s possible they trade Anderson, rengifo, and Jansen for something like this just dumps for salary dumps or lotto tickets, and keep it somewhat competitive, and see if kids can get us a swept in the playoffs run.
I’d liked to see what Perry can get for Anderson and/or Kyle H. with Detmers slotted back as a starter (even with his success as a RP).
@’61angelfan. Probably a player that hasn’t been successful in the mlb. I see something like a moniak or tucker Davidson which is fine we probably need someone like that with years of control. Hendricks is probably staying. i dont see them getting anything with worth creating two holes in the rotation. Just like moancada will probably stay since we need a 3rd baseman for the season
Don’t think the loss of one, maybe Anderson, would be that large a hole to fill; especially if Detmers gets slotted back in (now that we picked up two RPs). And Hendricks wouldn’t be a great loss either, but I agree that we wouldn’t get much in return. Anderson may though; we’re going to lose him anyway and Perry really needs to look at 2026, even if a WC is at our fingertips (so to speak).
@’61angelfan. Agreed. I think this trade was to fill in the gaps so they can move Anderson, and kenley. Hendricks took a hometown discount. I rather keep him, and re-sign him to the same contract for a long man role. It looks like perry might be open to trade expiring contracts and also buy cheaply if we trade prospects like brown it doesn’t bother me.
I think they won’t be sellers.. This is not a good team, not even close, but My belief is Arte wants to sell this team and Perry wants to keep his job.
I hope one of these things come to pass.
@halo11fan. If you close your eyes its essentially two waiver players for the same it fills a need. Its also better than edwards jr, and 40 others I’ve blocked out in my head. I believe they will trade rengifo, Anderson, and Jansen. Maybe look for another cheap 3rd baseman option, and roll with it. If they do something like that’s its probably around 75-76 wins.
I hope they do. Hope is a good thing.
@rex: I don’t see them trading Rengifo, only because his value is low right now (he should’ve been traded last season) and Tyler Anderson is unlikely to garner more than a couple of minor leaguers (AAAA), so I think they’ll opt to keep both. Jansen, on the other hand, should fetch them a team’s top-10 prospect, which is why I think he *could* be traded.
@rex: to clarify, if the Angels were completely out of the WC race, then I’m confident that they would trade Anderson, similar to the Syndergaard for Moniak deal. But Arte/Perry would rather save face by not waving the white flag as ‘sellers’.
@orange2001. Garcia got us zeferjahn and three AAAA players. Maybe hit up the whitesox for civale to eat innings. I say pull the trigger, and see what happens. Atleast those three should be moved.even if triple a guys it doesn’t matter we need something in the cabinet
Good point. Lefty relievers who are effective are at a premium. Chafin has performed well and would have been a good addition to a team that is truly in the running. But now the Nats don’t even have Mike Rizzo around to make trades that make some sense.
Just as the Nats found bullpen arms that aren’t garbage. Hope these prospects grow.
Eder is barely a prospect. Had a chance with the White Sox and Marlins to develop into a solid pitcher and hasn’t yet (those two being great at developing pitchers). Maybe something changes and an extended chance in the majors the rest of the year helps. Brown is more of a total lottery ticket who feasted on poor pitching in college and has struggled to adapt to the minors.
Eder only pitched 2 innings in a Sox uniform.
Yeah, but they’re are one of 29-30 teams that uses a farm system to develop players who are in their organization for 2 years.
Not the ringing endorsement Nats fans need. A completely pointless trade because at least Chafin and Garcia had pitched well, and now the bad BP just gets badder.
He has no chance. The Nationals are where prospects go to die (Wood is an exception). One of the worst at developing talent and pitchers in particular. Most of the pitchers end up under the knife, anyway (Gray, Cavalli, Herz, Bennett, Sykora, Thompson, etc).
I’m sure they can sign them again in 3 months or find some other old mediocre relievers.
The Angels are an absolute mess.
They’re a mess at 4 GB and nearly at .500? And much improved from last year?
Both things can be true at the same time.
The Angels are an absolute mess.
They have the 10th best record in the AL out of 15 teams. Yes they are only four games back but they have to pass a lot of teams.
Look at the run differential. And most of team stats indicate free-swinging, striking out a lot with terrible pitchhing team that have outplayed their skill set. HR-4th, K-1st and ERA-25th, BB-1st, SO-23rd on pitching side.
Can they still outplay the rest of the way and beyond? I hope so but I would not bet on them.
Nobody wants to play the Angels right now, dude. They’re solid.
They have a losing record since the break
Bro, thats not even true
LOL.
You misspelled “watch”, as in “Nobody wants to watch the Angels right now. They’re as solid as donkey diarrhea.
Wouldn’t be the trade deadline without a Chafin deal!
Was Andrew Chafin to go to LA?
Angels smell blood in the water.
Perhaps that’s just their red uniforms.
This is amazing. Eder is legit the worst player on the ML roster and Brown isnt a big prospect. This is basically a smart waiver wire move more than a trade.
Why the Nats acquired these guys, I’ll never know. If they wanted to dump Chafin and Garcia, they could’ve just DFA’d them. I guess they needed warm bodies for their terrible farm teams.
Moronic
Angels have won 3 in a row, gotta buy. What if they never lose again? Gotta buy.
That’s cute, the Angels still fancy themselves buyers.
why are they even bothering
Angels .500 season aspirations.
Arte is the dumbest person alive. Here comes another 3 years of non-playoff baseball
There may be a lot of reasons to state that but this trade? This is not the apocalypse here and the reason another 3 years of no playoff baseball?
It’s just a sign of things to come, based on what we’ve seen year in and year out. We need to strengthen our farm, and we just refuse to.
If the Angels really want to compete why are they picking up DFA type players like Chafin & Garcia?
Go get real starting pitching, if not, sell off the rentals and gear up for next year. It’s literally what every other team in this type of situation does.
Chafin is usually decent to good. Garcia has improved as of late. Eder ain’t that special
Average veteran relievers at trade deadline dfa you must be new to baseball. Hope you enjoy our wonderful sport.
Avg is an improvement for the Angels. Trust vets. Live in hyperbole buddy, enjoy life.
Praying this means the Angels are lining up real trades that will result in prospects coming back and these guys are here to fill those holes.
But knowing Arte we’re about to spend what tiny talent we have on the farm to chase a 5%ish chance at a Wild Card.
@halosheavenjj. I was confused until I saw what they gave up. it’s a waiver wire type. They could still trade Jansen or Burke.
I like Burke. He’s also under control for a few more years. But that means he might get a decent return.
@halosheavenjj. Nevermind I thought he was a free agent.
Oddly him and Brogdon both have club control remaining. Neither are phenomenal but for the cost are fine.
I think this was done to absorb the possible loss of Jansen. Who, if traded, will bring several quality prospects back to the team.
A lot of mob-mentality comments on here bashing the Angels for the sake of easy bashing. Look closer at their progress.
Let’s look at their winning percentage each season for the last decade starting in 2016: .457, .494, .494, .444, .433, .475, .451, .451, .389, .491.
I see the same mediocre team I’ve seen for a long time.
If you actually look at the team it seems to be emerging from the dark ages with a solid young core. Lots of holes, but also some good young talent on which to dream.
Zach Neto – stud
Jo Adell – playing up to his potential
Nolan Schanuel – quietly a very good player
Kikuchi is pitching well, Soriano flashes real potential but is inconsistent, and guys like Caden Dana and George Klassen could be on the way.
The Angels need more and lots of it, but they’ve avoided the long term contracts for a few years, have some really nice young players, and will have tons of payroll flexibility after 2026.
Careful there !!!!
Calling Neto a stud can create the illusion that he has an adequate SS for the Angels.
I agree with you. The Angels need to stay away from long term contracts and continue adding to this young core.
Guess Arte’s preparing for next year’s fanfest where he can say the Angels were on the fringes of a wild card berth and on the cusp of making the playoffs for the first time in over a decade? Idk….
I don’t mind this. Even if they ‘re not contending, stability and something to watch are nice.
Nick Krall yells in frustration. Somebody beat him to his only kind of deadline move
Gm he a clown this team has no chance of winning with this dude
Pretty obvious they are getting ready to trade Jansen.
How does Brown go from college to smr to AA??? No A ball?
Why does everybody over-react to this move? It’s a great move by the Angels. Doesn’t sacrifice the future and they get some solid relievers. What is wrong with that?
The move itself is fine. Basically waiver wire relievers for non prospects.
If a sensible owner made the same trade the board wouldn’t react.
You are saying Garcia is solid? Were you watching the last two times he was a Halo?
I understand why alot of Angels fans want to buy, but a functional front office and ownership group resists that pressure for long term organizational health.
Their playoff odds per fangraphs is roughly 3%, and they already have a below average farm, with bad infrastructure.
By chasing a longshot playoff chance they are hamstringing future teams. Had they sold during Ohtani’s last year, they’re maybe solid contenders already, instead they’re repeating that same mistake
Future teams? You mean trading Eder and a 23 year old still in double A are really gonna hold us back in a couple years?
@bigthin13. Typically troll post angels traded prospects to buy in for a push, but two days before they said angels have the worst farm system in the mlb. I think this makes Jansen available. They should’ve went after fedde for something to fill in for Anderson. I guess rich hill is available. Im fine with a one step in and one step out like the rays.
Neither are likely to be stars, but thats never been the Angels problem. Depth, especially pitching depth is alot more important than alot of people think.
The bigger point is the Angels should be selling off parts to bring prospects in, not trading what little of value they have below the majors
You ever notice how the people on here saying the Angels should buy are pretty much all Angels fans, and almost all non Angels fans have been laughing at Arte for years?
Alot harder to look at your team objectively when you are a fan, and watching everyday
Just keep making the same mistakes, dont think its gonna help
@russell. Haven’t noticed. guess i know the difference between the fans and the trolls. This isn’t stopping anything they got two guys better than the waiver wire pickups they’ve been picking up for nothing. Plus they traded garcia last year for four prospects. Got him back and chafin for a chewed up piece of gum and a broken soda machine.
I am a big Angels fan. I do not want them to buy. I don’t think the majority of Angel fans want that either. Most of us realize this team is 2 years away from serious contention.
Meant majority of people saying the Angels should buy are Angels fans, not the majority of Angels fans think that
@Russell branyan. I thought you were talking about the boards, not the people camping in tents in LA. Still i haven’t seen it, and the people that do on here say trade Mike trout not knowing he has a full no trade clause. Not fans at all.
The Angels did what?
Eder? We hardly even knew her…
A+ for angels. They didn’t get anything great but they got it for free.
D Nats. Low ceiling weak odds. They weren’t trading anything special but talk about lackluster. Maybe no one was interested and anything is better than nothing so if true A. Give me a younger higher ceiling lotto. But hey they got a arm who prior to 2024 was more interesting so maybe they can improve on him. Just in a seller’s market trading not 1 but 2 relievers even if old and mid I would have expected a bit more ceiling.
Chafin and Garcia were UFA and signed with the Nats midseason! Every team had a chance to sign them, and prospective trade partners almost certainly evaluated them recently. I was surprised that Chafin didn’t get a major league contract in the offseason, so I assume the league basically think he’s already done and fans have emotionally latched onto his name and his past performance. These two just weren’t going to get much.
At least the Angels gave up nothing for a couple of veteran relievers on MiLB deals. Not sure how many games their pen has already cost them this season…
The pen has been painful and costly…. though I can’t place all of the criticism there. Our defense has been very suspect and has also hurt our pitchers. I think Minasian played the deadline right.
Re: Trade deadline. Unfortunately, they were in no man’s land. I suspect that Minasian received underwhelming offers for their veterans on expiring contracts (ie, Jansen, Anderson, Rengifo, Moncada, and Hendricks) that it made no sense to pull the trigger and might as well stay on course.
Yes, their defensive miscues seem to always be game costly. And not to mention their atrocious hitting with RISP. So, it’s hard for me to decide which of the three (hitting, pitching, defense) is worse? Probably, their bullpen.
Actually, they’re hitting with RISP. I was watching the Texas feed and I believe they listed it 5th in the AL.
I don’t know where I can find the rankings.
I feel that their plate discipline and even hitting with RISP has improved slightly over the recent weeks, but as a whole this season, it’s been pretty bad. I’d love to see where their hitting ranks with RISP.
I found it on fangraphs. I really don’t know how a baseball fan lives without fangraphs.
Fifth in the American League, but next to last in ABs with RISP.
We don’t get on base and hit lots of Home Runs.
11th in OBP, 2nd in Home Runs.
Fifth best in the AL? That’s actually surprising. And yes, they struggle getting on base, hence their abundance of solo home runs.
Have you noticed an improvement in their plate discipline (around the time that Ray Montgomery took over; not crediting him, I’m sure it’s more of a coincidence.) I feel like they were striking out 10-12x on average per game with just 1-2 walks, but now it seems like a healthier ratio, around 8-10 K’s with 3-4 walks.
Visually I have. But let’s check the data.
When Washington left, 29th in BB%. BB%. Of 6.9. Last in OBP.
Under Montgomery. First at 10.1. 3rd in OPB.
Wow. I did not see that coming. That’s cause for hope.
So, we’ve learned that they’re actually not as bad at hitting with RISP and they’re actually getting on base at an improved clip.
I’m still not hopeful about the postseason, but I’m hopeful about finishing at .500 (81-82 wins).
Now if they can only turn outs into outs….
Well some things are just not possible.
Do the Angels ever have a plan?
Angels 11th in overall attendance. Rockies at 14th. Nope. All is going accordingly.
11th in attendance is very good – esp for a 4th place team. So I don’t see your point.
My point is that both the Angels and the Rockies historically draw well every season regardless of their standings. It’s a solid business plan without taking high risk.
Aren’t there 2 right handed Luis Garcias on the Nats prior to this trade?
Nats out here ready to have the worst bullpen of all time. Finnegan will be gone, Lord is starting. It’s gonna get ugly.
@holecamels: Braves w/the “hold my beer” on that “ready to have the worst bullpen of all time.”
Or if the Rockies lose Bird and Halvorson!
Lord has talent. Has pitched well in starting role. He might just be the find of their year.
Yeah seems like he’s doing very well. Just saying that’s their best arm removed from the pen. But a boost to their rotation.
Chafin rocks. The real life Kenny Powers will entertain you Angels fans. Right after he drives his RV all the way across the U.S. to park it in the lot at your stadium. The Tigers should have kept him and only allowed him to pitch with Jake Rigers as his catcher. The ultimate stache tandem! Good pitcher as well.
y tho
Adell to the Mets.
99% of bubble teams sell before they hit it big!
These are usually the under the radar contending teams make that payoff huge in October. Surprised its the Angels of all teams, making them.
Kwan would look great in any teams lineup. However, he is prototypical of what the Jays value in a position player. GG defense, high walk, low strikeout, high contact skills, good speed. Jays should go all out on him.
With Chaffin now in, it’s time to go after Ryne Stanek. The two in the bullpen together will channel the late Rod Beck 🥰
Arte doing some deck chair rearranging…
Garbage move by a garbage team (the Nats) acquiring garbage players who will never help them. At least Chafin and Garcia had pitched well and helped improve a sucky BP. Wishing the Angels luck in their playoff bid. Chances are slim but they have hovered near .500 all year. Maybe they will get hot and lucky.
Actually it wasn’t that dumb of a move by the Nats.
They got Garcia for free and got a little bit in exchange for him. Not too bad.
I don’t mind the trade for the Angels, but I don’t understand why Nats fans hate it.
Chafin and Garcia actually got guys out and finally brought needed stability to the Nats’ bullpen Dumpster fire.
I get the logic of dealing them – the Nats are nowhere near contention – but there’s nothing to dream on with Eder and Brown.
I’d rather get an A-Ball lottery pick with some upside.
Maybe that is the plan, a lottery pick.
Tank the rest of the year and increase your odds in picking higher in the draft.
Just a thought
The Nats can’t be in the lottery two years in a row and probably will pick 11th after the Rockies.
Drewnats. I completely forgot about this year. You are correct
Well there goes my theory.
Nate can’t pick higher than 10th this year. Probably 11th since the Rockies can’t either,
Dreams come true. Remember the 02 angels. Deja vu
In isolation, this move doesn’t signal buy or sell over the next 26 hours. Just a smart, low cost pick up of a couple of veteran RPs. I’m hopeful Arte allows Perry to at least trade guys on expiring contracts in an effort to acquire some minor league depth or a young Single A flyer. For all practical purposes, Arte has never allowed his GMs to do this making it much more difficult to build up the Angels minor league system.
@angels & nl west. Im hoping he’s allowed to trade expiring contracts and shed lower prospects for something like this. At this point if you haven’t played yet your not making it when it comes to our system, we’ve been grabbing street magicians and waste management guys off the streets.
Rsox, do the Sox want Luis Garcia back? I mean we can package him back to you guys for like 4 more solid prospects like last time! That worked out great!
No we don’t need 4 more trash player we got nothing as far as I can see worthless player
If the Angels want to help Mike Trout get back to the postseason, they should trade him to the Phillies!
I would trade Trout to the Phils for a six pack and a bag of Doritos at this point just to free up the money. So long as Moreno spends it of course.
I get that this is a deal with no real risk, but it still strikes me as one of those “this guy was good a few years ago, maybe he will get his spark back” kind of move they seem to like to do
Not an Angels fan: fans of the team are fine with the deal in and of itself-in that they gave up almost nothing. However, they are fearful that this signals they won’t be making more consequential moves. Do I have that about right?
920, I wont speak for other Angels fans as we are generally all over the board with our comments/recommendations. That said, im fearful that the Angels will be buyers when, imo, they should be sellers.
OK we lost last night so start unloading. This Team has no clue what to do and it starts with the owner.
This gm a joke just sould sold those 2 guy won’t make a difference