Angels Urged to Trade All-Star Outfielder to AL Contender

Apr 11, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler (12) celebrates right fielder Mike Trout (27) home run against the Houston Astros in the second inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Angels outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler is perhaps performing the best out of all the team's offseason acquisitions thus far.

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Soler is slashing .229/.290/.441 with six home runs, 13 RBIs and a .731 OPS. The Angels traded for him less than 24 hours after the World Series concluded in order to bring another power hitter to the lineup.

While the slugger has done a respectable job so far, the Angels' lowly 13-20 record means their season could be over long before the trade deadline in July.

If the Angels' downward spiral continues, it wouldn't be surprising if general manager Perry Minasian used this year's trade deadline to shed some of the organization's payroll and restock the farm system.

Soler could be a valuable trade piece for teams if his performance doesn't decline, which is certainly questionable given the ongoing struggles of the Angels lineup as a collective.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden linked Soler to his former team, the Kansas City Royals.

"The Royals entered Saturday ranked last in the majors in home runs with 15," Bowden writes. "To put that in perspective, 28 teams had hit 25 homers, 18 teams had hit 30 and the Yankees led the league with 54. OK, so the Royals then proceeded to club three homers on Saturday and a franchise-record seven long balls on Sunday, but I think they need to acquire power to get back to the postseason and Soler would be a good trade target."

Bowden proposed the Angels trade Soler in exchange for right-handed pitcher Ben Kudrna, who has a 5.23 ERA in five starts at Double-A this season with 26 strikeouts across 20.2 innings. The former second-round pick was ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the Royals' farm system, and would give the Angels an exciting young pitcher to develop in exchange for the aging veteran on a different timeline than his current team.

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