Angels fortify outfield in three-team deal, securing needed depth despite prospect departures. Will Josh Lowe revitalize the Halos' lineup?
The Los Angeles Angels were one of three teams involved in a Thursday night trade, which landed the club some extra help at one of the most glaring holes on the roster.
It may not have had the power to take headlines away from the biggest free agent signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers just minutes prior, but the deal undoubtedly will have an impact on each involved team in 2026.
The Tampa Bay Rays and the Cincinnati Reds were the other two clubs involved in the three-team affair, which sent Angels reliever Brock Burke to Cincinnati. Angels minor league pitcher Chris Clark and Reds utility man Gavin Lux were sent to the Rays in the deal.
In return, the Halos landed outfielder Josh Lowe from the Rays. At almost 28 years old, Lowe has played 348 games in the outfield for the Rays over the last five seasons. In 2025, he finished with a slash line of .220/.283/.366 with a .650 OPS.
It’s not a big outfield name that the Angels land in the trade, but it does give them an extra option in the position where they desperately needed help. After trading Taylor Ward, the Halos became very thin in the outfield. With Trout unlikely to be an everyday starter, two outfield openings needed to be addressed before the start of spring training. Lowe’s addition to the Angels’ outfield gives them much-needed depth at the position.
Burke joined the Angels partway through 2024 from the Texas Rangers, recording a 3.40 ERA in 82 innings as an Angel since his arrival. He had the lowest ERA among Angels pitchers last season with at least 60 innings thrown. Now, the lefty heads to Cincinnati as they look to make the postseason in 2026. Luckily, the Angels have made several additions to their bullpen already this offseason, hopefully softening the loss of one of their best relievers.
The Angels likely won’t be done addressing their outfield, however, as there are obvious flaws in Lowe’s game. First, he’s missed significant time over the past couple of seasons due to injuries, but even when he has been on the field, he hasn’t been great. Against left-handed pitchers, Lowe has an OPS of just .504 with a 33% strikeout rate. The Halos may have to use Lowe in a similar way as Tampa Bay did – shielding him from lefties.
The hope for the Halos is that Lowe can get back to, or at least get somewhere near, the level he reached during the 2023 season. In that season, he fished with a 128 OPS+, smashing 20 home runs, bringing in 83 runs, and stealing 32 bases. If Lowe can crawl back above the league-average level at the plate, the Angels' outfield will be much better off than before Thursday’s trade.