With a breakout season, Jo Adell's value soars. Angels must capitalize on his high stock before it vanishes.
The Los Angeles Angels have plenty of new faces in the clubhouse for the 2026 season, yet their outlook remains the same. After back-to-back seasons with 90 or more losses, there isn;t much expectations for the Halos.
It’s only getting worse with recent comments from owner Arte Moreno, who has claimed winning is not a priority for Angels fans. Though he claims he knows this from fan surveys, there is no evidence that any such surveys were ever given, and the team is declining to comment on when they were given. In short, it’s another example of Moreno maintaining his spot as one of the worst owners in American sports.
With that said, there likely won’t be much winning baseball to be had in Anaheim in 2026. It would be the club’s 11th season in a row with a losing record. Despite their offseason acquisitions, the Angels won’t be in a good place by the end of the year.
In a recent Bleacher Report article, Zachary D. Rymer suggested that the Halos trade away outfielder Jo Adell before Opening Day. Despite its unlikelihood, it could be the smart move considering where the Angels will inevitably end up.
Adell’s value is at an all-time high after his breakout 2025 campaign, where he smashed 37 home runs and drove in 98 runs. It was teh first time in his career that he finished with an OPS above league average. Considering his struggles in the outfield, this breakout campaign from the plate has been long-awaited in Anaheim.
The Angels already traded fellow slugging outfielder Taylor Ward back in November and got a young starting pitcher, Grayson Rodriguez, in return. A similar strategy for Adell should be at least considered, as he still has two years of team control left coming off a career year.
Though he certainly has his flaws, Adell’s bat can bring value to a contending team in the league. Though it’s nice to see home runs hit, his value isn't quite the same in Anaheim, making a trade a smart move for the club. He’sno longer a cornerstone piece like he was once thought of, but the Angels can still cash in on his surprising 2025 totals before they come crashing back down in 2026.
If they don’t move on from the 26-year-old before Opening Day, then prepare to hear his name again tossed around in trade rumors at the deadline this summer. If there’s any sanity left in the Angels’ front office, they’d see that moving on from Adell is the right move considering the direction of the club.