The Los Angeles Angels are actually selling this year, with the latest move being a trade involving outfielder Jo Adell to the Cleveland Guardians.
The Los Angeles Angels appear to be signaling a large fire sale after their latest move Monday.
After kicking off the trade deadline by moving catcher Logan O'Hoppe and righty reliever Chase Silseth to the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, right-hander José Soriano to the Toronto Blue Jays and lefty reliever Brent Suter to the Atlanta Braves early Monday morning, the Angels have agreed to trade outfielder Jo Adell to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for catcher prospect Jacob Cozart, per Zack Meisel.
When interim general manager John Mozeliak took over just before July, many wondered if owner Arte Moreno would allow him to have full control of the trade deadline and be big time sellers, selling off veterans with club control to get big returns for an organizational reset after years of mediocrity.
Well, trading Soriano, who was one of two coveted Los Angeles starters, tells us Moreno signed off on making big moves that will change the trajectory of the team. While Adell wasn’t one of the “big three” (Soriano, Reid Detmers, Zach Neto) being shopped, he is still a bigger name that was drawing interest in a market that was desperate for right-handed hitters.
Adell has a ton of power and while he isn’t the best defender, the 27-year-old runs well and should be a fixture in the middle of Cleveland’s lineup in the middle of a division race.
Adell’s numbers are down from last year, when he hit 37 home runs and drove in 98 runs over 152 games, but he led the Angels with 62 RBI and 101 hits while clubbing 16 homers and slashing .239/.287/.395 (.682 OPS) in 111 games this season.
The Angels organization was lacking in the catching department and now bring in the Guardians’ No. 18 prospect in Cozart.
Cozart, 23, was a huge producer in college, helping lead NC State to the College World Series in 2024 before being drafted in the second round in the Major League Baseball draft that year. He is a standout defender known for his framing and receiving behind the plate.
He’s got a cannon for an arm but lacks accuracy sometimes, so he still has some things to iron out before he’s ready for the big leagues. Offensively, he struggles to cover all parts of the strike zone and as a result has a lot of swing-and-miss in his game.
Cozart has good pop but needs to address his bat-to-ball skills to be a producer at the big-league level. He’s having a decent year in Double-A, though, slashing .239/.330/.384 (.714 OPS) with 21 extra-base hits (11 doubles, 10 homers) and 44 RBI through 79 games.
