Angels All-Star Trade Candidate Makes His Intentions Clear as Deadline Looms

Kenley Jansen has emerged as a potential trade candidate for the Los Angeles Angels ahead of the trade deadline.

If the Angels decide to be sellers at the deadline, there is a long list of veterans that could be dealt at the deadline, including Jansen. But as Los Angeles is rumored to be considering trading the four-time All-Star, Jansen is holding onto the goal he came into the Angels organization with.

“I came here with one goal in mind, just trying to help this organization to turn it back to a winning organization,” Jansen said to MLB insider Rhett Bolinger. “And we’ve got a great group of guys around here, and I think we can do it. We can sneak in as a Wild Card. You never know what can happen in the next 65 games.” 

Sitting four games behind the Seattle Mariners, the Angels are one of the bubble teams desperate to land one of the American League Wild Card spots. In addition to the Halos, the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers are trailing closely behind the Mariners.

The Halos rallied together to come back and defeat the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, which pushed them one game away from the .500 record they have been chasing. Jansen closed the game to mark his 17th save of the season.

“We just got to keep coming with this energy. We played a really great team today and the bullpen pitched well and everybody played well, but we have to focus on tomorrow and not the next two weeks,” Jansen said.

Many MLB insiders believe the Angels will be buyers at the deadline rather than sellers. They have the longest current postseason drought, having not appeared in the postseason since 2014.

Therefore, the Halos really have nothing to lose. Los Angeles is still battling in the tight AL Wild Card race, and if they can carry their momentum into the second half of the season, the Angels could finally return to October play.

Jansen said he wants to be part of getting the Angels back to the dominant organization they were in the past. The Angels last won the World Series in 2002, and although they are not championship contenders this season, they are taking the steps to returning to the postseason.