Angels GM Reveals Why Halos Did Very Little at Trade Deadline

The Angels enter Saturday's game against the Chicago White Sox with a 53-57 record, 5.5 games back of the third and final Wild Card berth in the American League.

On paper, the Angels have five teams to surpass — the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays — in order to secure a playoff spot.

No matter what the Angels did in the days leading up to Thursday's trade deadline, the postseason was going to be a longshot in Anaheim. Friday, after acquiring Oswald Peraza from the New York Yankees and watching the Mariners shut out the Rangers, their odds of reaching the playoffs fell to 3.4 percent, according to FanGraphs.

General manager Perry Minasian also acquired two veteran relievers (right-hander Luis Garcia and left-hander Andrew Chafin) from the Washington Nationals before the 3 p.m. PT trade deadline.

The maneuvers amounted to a small roster boost — not likely to improve the Angels' postseason fortunes, not likely to induce buyer's remose. Minor league pitcher Jake Eder and first baseman Sam Brown went to the Nationals for Garcia and Chafin, while veteran infielder Kevin Newman was designated for assignment.

Why did Minasian opt for such a conservative approach this year?

“Being competitive in August and September is really, really important for this group, not only for the now, but for the future,” he told reporters, including Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group. “Playing meaningful games, understanding there’s an expectation to win, showing up to the ballpark every day, feeling like you have a chance to win over a six-month period, it’s hard to quantify.

"But I felt like it was very, very important for this group to go through that and to see what playing in August and what playing in September is like with the amount of want-to and the experience around them. We’ll only benefit going forward.”

Minasian notably omits October from his 2025 ambitions, but perhaps the Angels' young core will not. Rather than trading any veterans on expiring contracts — Tyler Anderson, Kenley Jansen, Luis Rengifo or Yoan Moncada — Minasian kept everyone except Newman, and added to his roster at the margins.

Fans might not be satisfied with a "competitive" August and September from the Angels, but perhaps the long-term benefits to the team will be revealed in time.