Angels Trade Veteran Minor League In Midst Of Hot Offensive Stretch For Cash

The Los Angeles Angels have found themselves in work with the Atlanta Braves yet again this season by trading veteran catcher Austin Wynns to the best team in baseball. In exchange, the Angels have received an undisclosed amount of cash.

After trading right-handed pitcher Victor Mederos to Atlanta back in April for international bonus pool money, the Angels have yet again struck a deal with a Braves team that is going all out on their pursuit of a World Series. 

The Angels are on the opposite end of the spectrum, and they’ll happily shake hands on a deal that brings cash to the club for a player who hadn’t even been a part of the organization for a month. 

Wynns had played in 14 games for the Athletics in 2026, but was released from the squad in the middle of May. Just a few days later, Wynns struck a deal with the Halos that would see him play with the club’s Triple-A affiliate, the Salt Lake Bees. 

With the Bees, Wynns was having a strong spell at the plate. In 30 at-bats, Wynns recorded 10 hits, two home runs, seven runs batted in, and a slash line of .333/.355/.600 with a .955 OPS. His time in Salt Lake caught the interest of the Barves, who were eager to land the 35-year-old as a depth piece. 

In a corresponding move, Atlanta designated catcher Chadwick Tromp for assignment before selecting Wynns to its major league roster. 

Though the Angels never reaped the benefit of Wynns on the major league roster, they got value out of a 35-year-old who had struggled previously in the majors this season and had only been in the organization for a couple of weeks. It’s a low-risk scenario for an Angels team that has no hopes of making anything close to a postseason push this fall, so any return is a positive one for a player who didn’t have room on the major league roster. 

Throughout his major league career, which has spanned across eight seasons, Wynns has posted a slash line of .231/.276/.347 and a .623 OPS. While still not great, the numbers are better than Tromp’s in the majors over his seven seasons. 

Hopefully, there are several more moves to be made for the Angels before this summer’s trade deadline, considering their place in the standings. With their place at the bottom of the league, the only right move to make this summer is to ship off every expendable player that doesn't have a place in the future of the club and get some assets in return. For now, cash will have to do.