Angels Breakout Pitcher Named Top Trade Candidate, Linked to 3 Teams

The Athletic linked Los Angeles Angels left-handed relief pitcher Reid Detmers to the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays ahead of the trade deadline.

The southpaw is in his fifth MLB season, though it is his first time pitching in the majors as a reliever. The Angels announced the lefty would move to the bullpen during spring training after a disappointing few seasons in the rotation.

Detmers has been a standout pitcher for the Angels since moving to the bullpen before the season started, and didn't allow a run for nearly two months from May to early July. He has a season ERA of 4.15, however it is bloated by three rough outings at the end of April and the beginning of May. Outside of those three outings, he has allowed just eight earned runs all season.

Since the beginning of June, Detmers has the fifth-lowest ERA in MLB among left-handed pitchers, and has the second best ERA among relievers in the American League during that span. In that time, he also ranks top-10 in MLB in strikeouts per nine innings with 11.25

Of the three teams listed, the most likely ones to pull the trigger are the Phillies and Rays, who are both in playoff races in their respective decisions. The Phillies have two good left-handed options out of the bullpen already in Tanner Banks and Matt Strahm, however the Rays have just one real southpaw out of the bullpen in Garrett Cleavinger and could massively improve with the addition of Detmers.

The Angels would be hesitant to part with their southpaw, as they are also in the race for a playoff spot despite sitting below .500 at the All-Star break. They're just four games out of the final Wild Card spot in the AL, and will play both the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners — who sit ahead of them in the standings — before the end of July.

Before facing off against their divisional opponents, they have two series against the Phillies and New York Mets, both of which are on the road. They return from the All-Star break against the Phils on Friday at 3:45 p.m. PT.