Angels' Top Two Starters Predicted To Be Dealt At Deadline

After a dreadful first half of the season that has resulted in the Los Angeles Angels sitting at the bottom of baseball’s standings, the second half of 2026 may not have much to get fans excited about.

The most impactful and exciting part of this second half, however, will undoubtedly be how they approach this year’s trade deadline. With the departure of Perry Minasian as general manager and John Mozeliak stepping in as the interim, the front office’s approach at the August 3 deadline remains an unknown.

In no situation will the Halos be buyers at the deadline, possessing a 38-59 record and 10 games out of a Wild Card spot. With that said, it’s still a mystery as to the extent to which they will be selling before the deadline passes.

Back in late June, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that Angels owner Arte Moreno is unwilling to involve starting pitchers Jose Soriano and Reid Detmers in any trades this season. Nearly a month has now passed, and Minasian has since been relieved of his duties.

There are questions about whether that stubbornness has remained for Moreno, with many teams interested in both of the breakout starters.

Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter, for one, believes that by the end of the deadline, both pitchers will be packing up their lockers. In his article making one bold prediction for each MLB club, Reuter has both Soriano and Detmers being traded.

Soriano burst into headlines early in the year after his historic start, and although he has since come back down to a human level, he has been the most valuable Angels pitcher this season. His 3.49 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 2.2 bWAR, and 8-6 record stand out on an otherwise poor Halos team.

The 27-year-old ranks near the top of the league in ground-ball rate, whiff percentage, and pitching run value. Not eligible for free agency until after the 2028 season, Soriano’s value is through the roof. The question is whether the Angels are willing to cash in on their unlikely new star.

Detmers’ major league career has had its ups and downs, even being reduced to a bullpen role in 2025. In his return to the starting rotation this season, however, Detmers has had one of his best seasons yet.

Posting a 4.39 ERA and 1.14 WHIP, the southpaw has a team-leading 2.7 fWAR. His breaking pitches are nasty, placing him in the 99th percentile in breaking run value. With Detmers also not hitting free agency until the conclusion of the 2028 campaign, there is plenty of value for the Halos to cash in on.

It’s hard to imagine an owner as stingy and not with the times as Arte Moreno giving the green light on trades to send both Soriano and Detmers out of town, but the Angels’ future would be in a much better place if even one of them is traded at the deadline.

As long as the Angels do something, anything, to build a foundation for their future, then this year’s trade deadline would be a success in what’s been a season with little of it on the field itself.