The Los Angeles Angels entered the 2026 season with not much hope. 

First-year manager Kurt Suzuki only signed a one-year contract, and the offseason acquisitions of Grayson Rodriguez, Vaughn Grissom and others were not very splashy moves. 

The Angels are all but certain to extend their streak of playoff-less baseball to 12 seasons, and it sure seems that superstar Mike Trout might not play meaningful baseball for quite some time if he stays in Anaheim. 

The Angels have one of the worst records in all of baseball, and although Jose Soriano began the year as an American League Cy Young candidate and Trout has returned to his All-Star form, there isn't much else to be excited about around Angels Stadium. 

ESPN's Jeff Passan had some new trade deadline intel with the deadline two months away, and his objective for the Angels was simple: "Launch a proper rebuild." 

Regarding a possible Trout deal, here's what Passan wrote: 

"Mike Trout should be available, but there's no indication owner Arte Moreno has relented on his unwillingness to move his franchise player."

That part seems unlikely, and unless Trout goes to the front office and asks for a trade, there doesn't seem to be any sense that the long-time outfielder will be moved, unless they get a massive offer for him this summer. 

If Trout is available, he would immediately be the top piece they have to deal at their disposal. But, again, that remains to be seen. 

So, Passan suggested that stating pitcher Reid Detmers is the best option they have at the moment. 

" It's not clear if Detmers is going to be available, though with the state of the Angels -- bad big league team, bad farm system, bad owner -- starting from scratch would be advisable. With the quality of Detmers' stuff this year and peripherals suggesting he's still just scratching the surface of his abilities, the 26-year-old left-hander would be arguably the best controllable player available, not a free agent until after the 2028 season," Passan wrote. 

Detmers has control, which is an attractive option for teams looking to add pitching help, and especially for teams that aren't willing to pay top price for a big arm such as Sandy Alcantara or Tarik Skubal. 

Detmers has a 2-5 record with a 4.63 ERA, but the left-handed veteran might finally be able to pitch somewhere else for the first time since making his MLB debut with the Angels in 2021. 

And, there is one team close by searching for starting pitching help: The San Diego Padres. 

At the end of the day, Passan might be right: It might be time for the Angels to move what they can and fully invest in a rebuild.