Apr 20, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Jo Adell (7) celebrates with left fielder Taylor Ward (3) after hitting a walk-off double against the San Francisco Giants at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
It would behoove the Phillies to get off to a quick start after the All-Star Break against the Los Angeles Angels.
Not only do they want to start the second half on a high note, but they could help to put the nail in the coffin of the Angels, a team that features multiple trade candidates who make sense for the Phillies.
The Angels enter the series at 47-49. They almost certainly aren't going to be a playoff team. But considering they are only four games back of the final Wild Card spot in the American League, a hot stretch out of the break might tempt them to buy, or at least hold onto their trade candidates. However, if the Phillies were to sweep the Halos, it might crystalize the strategy in advance of the July 31 trade deadline for general manager Perry Minasian.
Before you ask, the window — which was never really open — for a Mike Trout to the Phillies trade has closed. The future Hall of Famer does have an .836 OPS this season, but he's played in more than 85 games just once in the last five years. He'll DH Friday evening, but a left knee contusion continues to keep him from playing right field, the position he moved to this season in an attempt to help his body hold up more. The 33-year-old is also owed more than $185 million over the next five seasons, and has never shown an inclination to waive his no-trade clause.
Mike Trout on never-ending trade speculation regarding him and the Phillies: “Oh, I see it all the time.”
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/qofI5rzZpk
The Angels' outfield, though, does present some intriguing options if the Phillies are looking to upgrade more than just their bullpen (which they should be).
Taylor Ward was a name connected to the Phillies last summer, and continues to make sense for the right price. While he's hitting just .224 with a .297 on-base percentage this year, Ward is a right-handed hitter with pop. He has 21 home runs and 65 RBIs this season, and would be a clear upgrade over Max Kepler at the plate. Ward has one remaining arbitration eligible year in 2026, so he wouldn't be a rental.
If president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is more inclined to take a bigger swing, Jo Adell might represent that in what is a very weak trade market overall.
Adell, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, has disappointed for much of his career. But while he's hitting a modest .243 this season, he has 19 home runs, 54 RBIs and an .800 OPS. He's a right-handed bat, and as you can see from his Baseball Savant page, one with incredible tools:
Additionally, Adell has experience at all three outfield positions. His defensive metrics in center field this year — minus-10 defensive runs saved and minus-five outs above average — suggest that he would be a better fit for a corner outfield spot. The Phillies could potentially put Adell in left field, leaving center field to Brandon Marsh and/or Justin Crawford. They could play Adell in center field the rest of the year, allowing Marsh to play his best defensive position in left field and Crawford to continue developing at Triple-A. Adell had six DRS and one OAA in right field last year, so he could offer an upgrade at that spot in 2026 if the Phillies choose to either trade Nick Castellanos or utilize him more at DH.
The Angels aren't going to give Adell away considering he's still only 26 years old and has three arbitration years after this season. But if you're looking for a player who is productive now and could potentially reach another level if put into the right situation, Adell fits that bill. It would hardly be shocking to see him compete for a home run crown one year in the future.
Of course, the bullpen, rightfully so, appears to be everyone's No. 1 focus when discussing what the Phillies need to do prior to the trade deadline. The Angels have options there too.
Kenley Jansen — he of the 463 career saves, fourth in MLB history — will probably be dealt in the coming weeks. Jansen has pitched much better since a nightmarish month of May saw him post a 9.64 ERA. But age 37, he probably wouldn't be a significant enough addition to fix the Phillies' bullpen woes, even if he was part of a solution that included acquiring multiple bullpen arms.
Reid Detmers might be the more interesting name from the Los Angeles bullpen. Detmers was a first-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, and is a full-time reliever for the first time in 2025. His 4.15 ERA in 40 games this year doesn't stand out, but his 3.35 expected ERA and 3.27 FIP suggest better results could be coming. His 95.5 fourseam fastball, 88.4 mph slider and 73.3 mph cutter are his three most used pitches.
The focus over the weekend will no doubt be about Trout — the Millville, N.J. native — being back in Philadelphia. But he's not one of the Angels that Phillies fans should view as a realistic possibility to be in red pinstripes a month from now.
