The Angels added outfielder Josh Lowe in last night’s three-team trade that sent reliever Brock Burke to Cincinnati. General manager Perry Minasian held a Zoom call once the trade was finalized this morning, revealing that Lowe could compete for the center field job.
“He’s obviously had a couple of up-and-down seasons with injuries, but he’s a player we believe can play all three [outfield spots],” Minasian told reporters (including Martín Gallegos of MLB.com). The GM noted that Lowe’s left-handed bat is a good complement to a lineup that leans very heavily to the right side, especially in the outfield. Even after trading Taylor Ward early in the offseason, they’d entered the day with an all right-handed projected outfield mix of Mike Trout, Jorge Soler, Jo Adell and Bryce Teodosio. The only other lefty-hitting outfielder on the 40-man roster, Wade Meckler, was just claimed off waivers from San Francisco.
Lowe has been a right fielder for the majority of his career. He didn’t see any center field action last year and only started two games there in 2024. The Rays lifted him mid-game in both, and he tallied seven combined innings. He has 156 career innings of center field experience. That’s too small a sample on which to glean anything from defensive metrics.
The 6’4″ Lowe has long strides and is an above-average runner underway, but Statcast hasn’t been favorable on his first step reads. Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved have graded him as a slightly below-average right fielder in each of the past two seasons. It’s unlikely that his metrics would improve if he were tasked with playing the outfield’s most difficult position on a regular basis.
While Lowe fits best in a corner, the Angels don’t have many alternatives. Adell started half their games in center field last season. He graded as one of the worst defensive center fielders in MLB and moved to right field for the final month of the season. Teodosio is a talented defender who has hit .193/.236/.287 in 55 career games. Meckler hasn’t made a big league appearance in two years. The Angels could get Trout some center field work again in 2026 but prefer him in a corner to keep him healthy.
Cody Bellinger would be a strong roster fit, but there’s no indication the Angels are making a serious effort to add him on a long-term deal. Harrison Bader could be a more realistic target, albeit as another right-handed bat. Lowe would otherwise probably be their best option at the position, at least until 20-year-old prospect Nelson Rada is MLB ready.
The Angels are aggressive with prospect promotions and had Rada divide his age-19 season between the top two minor league levels. He played well at both stops and could get a look early in 2026. Prospect evaluators praise Rada’s approach, speed and defense. He has minimal power and is coming off a .292/.398/.360 slash in the minors.
Lowe will be looking for a rebound season after slumping to a .220/.283/.366 slash across 435 plate appearances in his final year with Tampa Bay. He was an average hitter two years ago and showed an All-Star caliber ceiling in 2023, when he hit .292/.335/.500 with 20 homers and 32 steals in 135 games. That’s the only season in which he reached 110 games or 500 plate appearances. Lowe has been hampered by injuries, mostly oblique troubles, over the past two years.
Free Mike Trout!
Send him to the Phillies for Castellanos, Johan Rojas and Gabriel Rincones Jr. Now you don’t have to use Addel or Lowe in CF, plus you acquire a LH OF’er to go with your all RH OF. Is there any better option out there to hit cleanup after getting burned by Bo? Nope. His $35M per year looks a little more reasonable after those Bichette & Tucker overpays.
What a d*mb trade offer.
Miller, Crawford and Painter would not even get Arte’s attention. Trout will wear an Anaheim cap in the HOF. Anaheim will be a last place team this year so they might as well keep their one fan favorite, preferably as the DH to keep him healthy.
MLB Top 100 Commenter: “Anaheim will be a last place team this year”
We would dominate in AAA though!
I love Trout, but I’ve never understood the “Free Trout” reference. He’s topped 450 ABs only 4 times in the last 10 seasons.
Great guy, but he’s rarely healthy and has consumed a large amount of payroll for that limited production.
Plus he chose to be here with a no trade clause.
I’m sure to Dodgers will take him at some point as a bench bat…what’s another $35M at this point
I think Uncle Steve can just take his salary to NY and call it a day.
He brought this on himself. Trout said “loyalty” and I heard Stockholm syndrome.
Another drrrrr duhhhh drrrr trout trade post.
Castellanos? You mean the guy that no one gets along with, and who will be let go before spring training? No thanks.
Great…… the defense will still be subpar.
Subpar? Understatement of the year.
Lol!
@halo11fan. Trout’s playing center. Will he get hurt after 30 games probably. At the end of the day lowe is probably the best outfielder available without opening the check book.
I’m thinking about this a bit. Don’t get me wrong, last years the Angels defense was the worst in baseball by a wide margin….and it got worse.
But what if the Angels platoon Lowe and Trout in CF? That means Trout starts between 40 and 50 games. That’s something I might try.
I wonder who can be on the injury list longer, Trout or Lowe? Pirates are no better with what they got this offseason. It seems these players are made more and more of glass. Dodgers whole pitching staff has been often on the injury list. Somehow, they have just enough injured stars to win World Series. With all these injury prone superstars now, you have to really understand where baseball wellness and conditioning went wrong. These unorthodox training methods and eating “healthy” has to weaken the body more internally. Science brought baseball to this, science should figure out how to nourish bodies. Baseball may not seem like are hard sport on the body, but that is far from the truth. Pitchers lethal deliveries to a fielder at a stand still have to move and turn in a blink of an eye. All movements from pitchers and fielders/batters are violent to the body in their own way. Baseball needs to seriously step up their game to improve peace of mind and body nourishments after daily strenuous activity. Flights to other cities don’t help the cause either. It all plays a toll on people’s bodies.
“Healthy eating is causing these injuries “
You’ve cracked the case Mr nutritionalist. Get these players on donuts, fried chicken and beer. Someone hire Josh Beckett as their head trainer to save baseball fast.
Did I suggest that at all? You can’t be that mental. With that they do to their bodies for 160+ games a year, a strict diet and active unorthodox exercises pre-game, isn’t helping their bodies heal. Most injuries are caused by strains, sprains, torn ACL, biceps, and other serious injuries that are not putting enough proteins and nutritions into their bodies. These players are made more of glass than before these new training regimens
Let him play CF, what difference does it make? Poor strategies for roster construction and prospect promotions, poor player development, 20 years of bottom Minor League rankings, poor bullpen construction, high coaching staff turnover, no progress under Minasian, 99 and 90 losses the last 2 years, etc. What viable free agent would want to sign there to improve them?
An the kinda injury prone comer guy should now take on a more taxing position. Halo gonna halo I guess
Of course they are.
A team that use to have Ken Berry, Rick Miller, Fred Lynn, Gary Pettis, Devon White, Jim Edmonds and Darin Erstad has devolved into a sham of a franchise that they even consider Joe Adell and Josh Lowe to be CFs.
It reminds me of the 77 opening day disaster of Bruce Bochtee.
Ken “The Bandit” Berry. When I saw his name in your post, a smile came across my face. I loved that guy! You really are a Halo Fan! Oh, and I agree with your post. Another sick Angel fan since 1970.
Don’t forget Luis Polonia and Mickey Rivers!
Wasn’t Polonia a LF?
Maybe! Those early nineties teams are hazy in my mind! Gaetti, Johnny Ray, Lee Stevens et al
Junior Felix in center!!!!
Also, Chad Curtis was in center for a couple of seasons.
Rivers was an adequate defender. Polania couldn’t catch a cold.
I was actually listing elite defenders. Some of these outfielders are only elite compared to Lowe and Adell. .
I love the Bandit. He made very difficult plays look routine. Not an ounce of hot dog.
You forgot Albie Pearson –
Yes, I do go back that far.
I go that far back, but I listed gold glovers. Little Albie Pearson was not a good defensive outfielder.
Not as bad as these guys though…not even close.
That is a good list You can add Torii Hunter to that list. A couple that you mentioned were before my time, The Angels haven’r always been good but the have had some great CFs until recently.
Torri Hunter. How could I forget about him?
Wow, Halo. You’re old.
Older than that. But our first really good defensive center fielder was Berry.
Huge Fregosi fan.
I actually think we’re close to the same age.
Let me put is this way. I was born in the Eisenhower administration. :).
@Halo Me Too. The earliest I knew ANYTHING about the Angels, My parents took us kids out for a drive around. Anaheim and we drove by Anaheim Stadium being built . And the driving by Disneyland seeing the Anaheim Convention Center being built.
My Dad and my Uncles went to an Angels game in 1966 I was Watching Batman on TV I asked my Mom where my Dad was. She told me they went to an Angles game. The Pla boy bunnies were having softball game .
I was at those playboy bunnies games. They were between double headers.
I use to live ten minutes from Dodger Stadium when the Angels played there. I’ve seen many many Angel games there.
LBJ Administration for me.
Angels gonna Angel, I guess, but at least this might save what’s left of Trout’s knee cartilage for a second. They get dumped on more than is fair, but man, their fans could use a break. At some point they have to accept that bubble gum, duct tape, and aging/overpriced veterans isn’t a real plan.
Squint and pray for .500, then rinse and repeat when it fails seems to be their MO.
Typical Perry! Dang the defense and dang the offense! As long as a warm body mans a position he is happy! Moore at 3rd? NP!
Waas going to say there is no way he can play CF for the Angels and then I looked at Adell’s defensive stats last season. He can’t be any worse.
It seems like only the reds knew what they were getting in this deal
Arturo Moreno, it is clear you have no brains or even willingness to run a baseball team. Sell the team, now!
Adell Is also a poor left fielder….
He can be ok if left alone. He has been moved constantly.
I think if you let him play LF everyday, he’ll be adequate.
He only has 96 games in LF and they have bounced him around like a superball.
I agree. I think Adell is better suited for LF than RF.
Unlike his big brother, Josh has never been that much of a baseball fan. Given his druthers, Josh certainly would rather be playing for the Rams or Chargers than the Angels
The amazing thing about the Angels is that here in Orange County , they are of as little interest they are in LA county. It’s like an embarrassed hushed silence when you mention them out here when it used to be a point of pride.
Mark66, that is B.S. None of my Angels fan friends have this attitude you describe and I find the community still has pride in the team—as much as ever. Is the team going thru tough times? Yeah. But I don’t find it embarrassing to mention the Angels. Times will change and eventually the team will be competitive again. But to say the whole County is embarrassed is a dumb take.
I talk about my team out loud … people know how frustrated I am because I talk about them like a family member who can’t lay off the sauce, get a job, and get their back on track. It’s more frustration than embarrassment; but it is definitely out loud!
Looking at the Angels’ CF situation post–Josh Lowe trade through an analytics lens, I don’t think Lowe should be part of the center-field discussion at all. His defensive profile fits much better in a corner—range and first step aren’t ideal for everyday CF, and the positional adjustment matters when you’re talking marginal WAR.
That’s why Wade Meckler stands out as a sleeper internal option. Projection-wise, I see something in the 0–1 WAR range, driven more by defense and positional value than raw offense. Offensively, a reasonable expectation is around .240 AVG / .310 OBP / .390 SLG, which is playable if paired with above-average CF defense.
From a run-prevention standpoint, Meckler’s reads and routes give him a better chance to be neutral-to-positive in OAA, which quietly adds value compared to forcing a corner-profile defender into center. Over 110 games in CF, that difference alone could swing a few runs — and that’s meaningful for this roster.
Not a high-ceiling play, but analytically, Meckler looks like the cleanest fit for CF, while Lowe’s value is likely maximized on a corner where the defensive bar is lower.
Meckler has put up solid numbers in the minors, but the Giants were not impressed enough to even give him a chance the last two years.
Great trade.
The bullpen got worse, the outfield defense is guaranteed to remain horrible, and Lowe’s last two seasons at the plate have been really bad.
What happened to the guy’s insurance? The minor leaguer who was in car accident?
The Angels will pay for Rio Foster’s insurance and his 2026 salary.
Why didn’t Perry keep Moniack?
Because he wasn’t very good.
Not that Perry has found a better replacement.
That’s my point. And now he gave a decent RP to get worse CF.
@dole. Because lopez, and Anderson were better. That move definitely came back to bite perry in the butt. They were dead set at adell playing center.
@Rex I know Trout has helped Adell with his defense. Let’s be honest Adell is not great but he’s a lot better than when he first came up.. Maybe he can help Lowe.
You didn’t watch Adell play CF or look at his stats, did you? He is Awful in CF with a capital A.
@tyler. Trout is the centerfielder, thats what trumbo is saying from his sources. Will he get hurt probably, but at this point he can get hurt getting out of his car.
Lowe isn’t even an average defensive rightfielder. Makes sense the Angels want him to play CF.
Bold prediction: The Rockies, with their front office makeover, will make the playoffs before the Angels ever do.
As long as Arte is the owner, you are correct.
Typical Skankees fan take on a situation to which they know nothing about. No the Rockies will not make the playoffs before the Angels. Stupid.
Moreno vs Monfort showdown. Monfort has taken the early lead as it appears he may be letting DePodesta do his job relatively unimpeded. The quickest route to the playoffs for both teams is for the owners to sell or allow their GMs to do their jobs… but please sell.
We just gave up a minor league arm for a platoon outfielder who can’t hit lefties, doesn’t belong in center, and whose glove is more rumor than reality. The Rays knew exactly what they were doing they only let him face righties. We’re the ones pretending he’s a full-time solution.
Meanwhile, Perry’s out here wheeling and dealing like a man on a hot seat, and Arte? Let’s be real the lights are on, but nobody’s home. The man’s running this team with a brain the size of a peanut
If our starting rotation exceed above expectations, this could be more brutal than last year
I don’t believe Bellinger is even remotely interested in coming to the Angels. Let’s look on the bright side it will be just like it was in the early 70’s when the Angels drew an average 4 thousand to a game. Except when Ryan pitched. Then it was maybe 10K. Getting a good seat won’t be a issue.
Back then when the A’s showed up. They could just throw their glove on the field and beat us like red headed step child.
No Bellinger. Let him stay in the Little League park in the Bronx and hit .250 for $40 mil/ season.
Another turd dropped on the steaming pile.
I called this just yesterday that they plan to use Lowe as our everyday CDFer.
I have no idea what a “CDFer” is.
@Prov. We knew what you meant.
Cody Bellinger? Let him keep raking in that $40 million to hit .250 in Yankee Stadium’s Little League right field. That short porch makes everyone look like Babe Ruth. You think he’s putting up those same numbers in Anaheim, where the ball dies at night
And let’s be real Arte Moreno ain’t handing out long-term deals anyway. Not when the market’s gone full Monopoly money. The price tags are insane, and Arte’s still shopping like it’s 2012.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers? They’re the All-Star team you build in a video game. Ohtani, Yamamoto, Glasnow, Betts, Freeman, and a few homegrowns sprinkled in for flavor. That’s what happens when you print money and don’t blink at the bill.
But here’s the thing: this can’t last forever. The league’s heading for a reckoning. Don’t be shocked when a salary cap finally hits the table. The gap between the haves and have-nots is getting wider by the day and the Angels are stuck on the outside looking in.
So yeah, let Belli stay in the Bronx. We’ve got bigger problems than one overpriced outfielder. We need a plan. We need vision. And we need an owner who’s ready to play big-league ball.
Johnny, the potential for a salary cap is practically nil. The union was pretty clear about the wanting the owners to agree to have all the basic, underlying conditions to be the same as they are in all of the other major sport leagues in the US. In the negotiations for the CBA that they have now, the owners didn’t just say no, they said we won’t even discuss any of those items.
You have seen it discussed here ad nauseum. The players are saying that if the NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLS have 100% revenue sharing, completely open books between the teams/league and the union, and a guaranteed percentage of the money coming in going to the players, so should MLB if they want a similar hard cap on individual team spending. The union has said we will talk about a hard cap if you agree to do that. The owners have said no.
Bellinger is not coming to Anaheim, not matter how much we as fans want him too. He wants a chance to win, not just money. He has no shot at winning with Arte as the owner here.
Arte WILL spend on long-term deals for position players that are big enough stars to draw people out to the park just to see them play. He refuses to sign a starting pitcher to longer than 3 years, so no good ones will sign here. He has spent the least of any team other than the Rockies on the player development (tech, facilities, and personnel) over the past decade, so we have not seen the team develop many good players of any kind and especially pitchers. We have seen Minasian draft some players that came almost directly to the major leagues, but once they have hit our minor league system they seem to flounder.
Ok, cutting the rant short here. Arte, sell the team already.
Teodosio can play a great centerfield.. game changing.
He is a 5th outfielder defensively late inning replacement.
HE CANNOT HIT
Teodosio is a (late-inning defensive) 4th OF at best.
Peter Borjours part 2. Fast good glove and hits .193 at the batting cages in the stall next to your kid
What is the angels sign Framber
Madrigal at 3rd for angels
All of this fan frustration is under the false presumption that the Angels will be competitive in 2026.
As some have written elsewhere, there are actually some pretty decent arms starting to build up in their system, but they are likely a year away from being major league assets: Klassen, Dana, Urena, TGA, Bremner, Ryan Johnson, And there’s more after them (Kent, Shores, Jordan, Vargas).
Position-wise, they may have the guys to fill their holes, but again, these guys are about a year or so away. Guzman 3B, Rada CF, and Raudi Rodgriguez CF could be ready to help by 2027, but they’re not ready now.
(And it looks like C Juan Flores finally figured out how to hit to go along with his elite glove.)
This all means that 2026 will be spent developing and 2027 will be a year of transition, with the earliest likelihood of realistic contention being 2028.
It would be helpful if Angels management operated with this in mind.
I’ve noticed that no one has been linked to Rengifo.
He had a down season. If he would’ve been a free agent a year ago, somebody would’ve overpaid and locked him up on a 3 year deal. But now, I have a feeling that he will settle on a 1 year deal (around $4-5M).
All this fan frustration is built on a false hope: that the Angels will be competitive in 2026.
Yes, there are finally some decent arms bubbling up in the system but let’s not pretend this was part of some master plan.
What took so long?
Credit Perry Minasian he’s actually doing something Arte never had the patience or vision to do: build from within. For years, Arte treated this franchise like a car with a flat tire. But instead of replacing it, he just kept riding around on the little spare doughnut patching holes with other teams’ castoffs and hoping no one noticed the wobble.
By now, we could’ve had a homegrown core on Anaheim soil. Instead, we’ve got six years of misery, a bloated payroll, and a rumbling fanbase
And now we’re supposed to believe the plan is finally working?
We have a bottom five farm system and no one is talking about our prospects. I credit Perry for that.
Angels Prospects Already in the Big Leagues
• Zach Neto (SS)
• Nolan Schanuel (1B)
.Christian Moore (2B)
• Ben Joyce (P)
Angels Prospects Close to MLB (2026)
Player Position Level (2025) Notes
Barrett Kent RHP
Nelson Rada OF
Alberto Rios C/OF
Cole Fontenelle 1B
Jorge Marcheco RHP
Denzer Guzman SS
Angels Players Lost in 2025 Minor League Rule 5 Draft
Player Position Drafted By
Nick Jones LHP Royals
Jake Madden RHP Pirates
Mason Erla RHP. Nationals
Coleman Crow. RHP Mets
Eric Torres LHP Giants
Werner Blakely INF Rays
D’Shawn Knowles OF Guardians
For being at the bottom of the barrel where all these scout directors wrong from other teams
that’s right Perry Minasian deserves credit for his draft picks Arte Moreno has no clue what he’s doing
Minasian is doing the only thing he can when the player development personnel, facilities, and tech budgets are among the lowest in baseball. When the scouting staff is minuscule, That is find players in the draft that get to the majors fast because he knows if they don’t they may never make it.
The Angels Dominican Summer League teams have been good for the past 4 years. They have been especially good the past 2 seasons. We have seen some benefits. The Angels ACL won their first ever championship and the 66ers were in the finals last year. This was in large part due to the influx of players from the DSL.
This year the Angels have signed their best international group in a long time including 2 in the top 50. Jeyson Horton, #9 on the list and Kendri Fana #46, the 2nd highest pitcher on the list.
Things may change with the international draft, but if you are saying prior to the international draft we have anything other than a bad farm system, I’d say you’re nuts.
I’m curious what fangraphs will say when they rank our players.
Ignore FG. Look at BA and MLB. They are much, much more accurate on prospect grading.
Where did you get that list of players lost in the Rule 5 Draft? It’s completely wrong. Most of those players were traded or released by the Angels, and Mason Erla is still in their organization.
Here are the players lost in the Rule 5 draft (both MLB and MiLB phases):
Marlins: RHP Jake Smith (from LAA)
Athletics: RHP Jorge Marcheco (from LAA)
Tigers: RHP Yendy Gomez (from LAA)
Because nobody wants our prospects. If they did. They could have drafted them
Fangraphs hasn’t rated them yet. They are 27th MLB.Com
Neto is in a league of his own. The other major league players are nobody is talking about them. They are/were not worth their draft slots.
Nobody is talking about our pitching. In spite of having the number two pick, no one is talking about him. Our farm system is ranked 29th
Rada? He might be a Punch and Judy CF who may play good defense. Wow. He’s young but has a minor league slugging pct around 335.
No one who makes a living evaluating minor league talent agrees with you.
He’s trash, put him anywhere he’s garbage