John Mozeliak has frequently used the word “change” ever since the Angels hired him as their interim GM in June.
One whirlwind day not only proved that he was serious, but that Angels owner Arte Moreno was going to allow him to do it.
Mozeliak shipped out five players from the active roster in separate deals that brought the organization eight new players. Including a trade last week, seven players were dealt.
“We knew that things had to be different, the direction of where the franchise was going needed to change,” Mozeliak said after the trade deadline passed on Monday afternoon. “This is an opportunity during the trading deadline to do just that. There were a lot of tough decisions that we had to make along the way, but we’re really excited about some of the young players that we added to this system.”
Mozeliak, who was hired when the Angels fired Perry Minasian in late June, said he’d received support from Moreno and Angels president Molly Jolly to make such drastic changes. That certainly surprised many skeptics who assumed it would be business as usual as long as Moreno was in charge.
“If we backtrack to when I was brought in, obviously, I communicated the strategy of what I thought needed to see happen,” Mozeliak said. “I’m happy to report (Moreno and Jolly) have been uber supportive of me.”
Among Monday’s five trades, the most significant sent ace right-hander José Soriano to the Toronto Blue Jays for three prospects, including touted shortstop Arjun Nimmala.
Nimmala is currently ranked as the 39th best prospect in the sport by Baseball America.
In a separate deal, the Angels sent reliever Ryan Zeferjahn to the Chicago Cubs for two players, including catcher/DH Moises Ballesteros. He had been ranked among baseball’s top 100 prospects each of the last two years, before graduating from the prospect lists by playing 59 games in the majors this season.
The Angels also traded outfielder Jo Adell to the Cleveland Guardians, ending the tenure of a player who had been an Angels’ first-round draft pick in 2017.
Finally, they sent veteran relievers Kirby Yates and Brent Suter to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves, respectively, leaving them with a major league pitching staff that includes no pitchers older than 27.
Last week, Mozeliak traded catcher Logan O’Hoppe and right-hander Chase Silseth.
When it was all over, though, three players who had been frequently discussed in recent weeks remained. Mozeliak said he took offers for left-hander Reid Detmers and shortstop Zach Neto.
“We definitely listened to offers on them, but we were not comfortable with the offers we received,” Mozeliak said. “And given the talent of those two individuals, we are certainly happy they are part of our organization moving forward.”
Detmers is not eligible for free agency until after the 2028 season, and Neto not until after the 2029 season.
Mike Trout is also still on the roster, which is no surprise.
Trout, who will be 35 this week, has spent his entire career with the Angels, winning three American League MVP awards while playing only once in the playoffs. He has a no-trade clause and he has frequently said he’s not interested in moving.
“I spoke with Mike a couple weeks ago, and as far as putting him out there, we decided that just was not going to happen,” Mozeliak said.
The roster will certainly look different when the Angels return to action on Tuesday in Baltimore. Ballesteros will report to the major league team, but all the other vacancies will be filled by players from within the organization. Mozeliak wasn’t ready to disclose exactly who would be added and how they would be used.
“Some things are going to happen over the next 24 hours, and we’ll share all that with you tomorrow,” Mozeliak said.
While the Angels, who have a major league-worst 43-69 record, seem likely to be weaker in the short-term, Mozeliak’s hope is that the franchise is beginning a turnaround.
“I would say we took a step forward today,” he said.
That starts with Nimmala, who is arguably the best position player prospect that any team acquired at this deadline. The 20-year-old right-handed hitter, was the Blue Jays’ first-round pick in the 2023 draft. He ascended to Double-A this season, hitting .279 with an .806 OPS in his first 33 games at that level. He missed a month with a hamstring injury this season.
Mozeliak acknowledged that he’s probably two years away from the majors.
The Angels also received outfielder Eddie Micheletti and right-hander Angel Rivero from the Blue Jays.
Micheletti, 24, is a left-handed-hitting corner outfielder and first baseman. He was hitting .251 with an .801 OPS at Double-A. The Angels have a void of left-handed power hitters in their system. Micheletti has hit 14 home runs this season. He has also struck out in just 17% of his plate appearances this season.
Rivero, 19, is a right-handed starting pitcher from Venezuela. He has a 2.36 ERA in 42 innings with the Blue Jays’ rookie-league affiliate in the Florida Complex League.
In the Zeferjahn trade, the Angels got Ballesteros and right-hander Mason McGwire. McGwire, 22, is a Capistrano Valley High graduate and the son of famed slugger Mark McGwire. In two levels of Single-A this season, he has a 3.64 ERA with 72 strikeouts and 24 walks over 59⅓ innings.
Ballesteros, 22, has also played first base. He has a .736 OPS in 79 major league games. A left-handed hitter, he was sent back to the minors with a .688 OPS in 59 games with the Cubs.
“It’s probably more of a bat first and then defense second,” Mozeliak said. “But we spent a lot of time on this one, really trying to scrub and understand what are we doing here on the defensive side. We do think there are some things that we can do to help him defensively. Do I think he’s a 100-game catcher a year? I don’t know that yet, but with the offensive upside, it is certainly worth a try.”
The Angels also got a defense-first catcher from the Guardians in the Adell deal.
Jacob Cozart, 23, was a second-round pick in 2024, as one of the top catchers in the draft. Cozart was hitting .239 with 10 home runs and a .714 OPS this season at Double-A. He has an excellent 11% walk rate, along with a 25% strikeout rate that is worse than average.
The Angels picked up third baseman Nacho Alvarez Jr. from the Braves for Suter.
Alvarez, 23, batted .236 with 22 runs, two home runs and 21 RBIs in 37 games at Triple-A this season. The former Kaiser High and Riverside City College standout played 58 games with the Braves last season, hitting .234 with 18 runs, two home runs and 15 RBIs.
Kyle Robinson, a 23-year-old right-hander, came from the Pirates in the Yates deal. Robinson, who had been acquired from the Athletics in a deal earlier this season, had combined for a 4.55 ERA in his four minor league stops this season. A starter, Robinson struck out 78 in 83 innings.
The question now is whether Mozeliak will be around to oversee the integration of all these new players into the Angels’ system.
When Mozeliak was hired, he said his contract expired in December. Among his directives was to help the team find a new GM. Many in baseball are now expecting Mozeliak to remain with the Angels in some capacity.
Mozeliak said, for now, his intent is still to hire another GM.
“I do think over the next few weeks I need to get with with Mr. Moreno and Molly to really kind of map out how we want to see the future really look like,” Mozeliak said. “I can side step this a million different ways, but let’s just recognize the elephant in the room, and that is going to be what do we really want leadership to look like moving forward? Allow me some time to get with them, and obviously once I know that, I’ll be happy to share.”