Angels GM Reveals Why Halos Acquired .152 Hitter at Trade Deadline

The Angels awoke Thursday with a 3.6 chance of reaching the postseason, according to FanGraphs. Friday, after acquiring Oswald Peraza from the New York Yankees and watching the Seattle Mariners shut out the Texas Rangers, their odds fell to 3.4.

Another day, a little less hope — unless you are Angels general manager Perry Minasian.

Do the Angels think their competitive window starts in 2026?

An exchange from the press conference with Minasian. pic.twitter.com/INeEwEOTwJ
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) July 31, 2025

"We're more competitive than we were," Minasian told reporters Thursday (via Sam Blum of The Athletic on Twitter/X). "We wake up every day, we want this place to get better. I've said that since Day 1. So, we're competitive now. We've had a very competitive season up to this point. We'll see what happens over the next two months, but I'm more concentrated on '25 and worried about '25, and worried about tomorrow (more than 2026)."

More news: Angels Insider Provides Major Ron Washington Health Update

The Angels enter Friday's game against the Chicago White Sox at 53-56, 4.5 games behind the Mariners for the third and final Wild Card berth in the American League.

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

More news: Angels' $33 Million Oft-Injured Pitcher Finally Gets Good News

Three of those teams clearly fell into the camp of "buyers," encouraging fans of the Mariners, Rangers and Royals not to give up hope on the 2025 postseason. The Rays tried to thread the needle, doing a little buying (Griffin Jax, Adrian Houser, Everson Pereira) and a little selling (Jose Caballero, Taj Bradley). The 54-54 Guardians traded reliever Paul Sewald and rehabbing starter Shane Bieber — a "light sell," if you will.

The Angels?

After trading for two veteran relievers (right-hander Luis Garcia and left-hander Andrew Chafin), they acquired Peraza, a .152/.212/.241 hitter in 71 games this season with the Yankees. Veteran Kevin Newman was cut in a corresponding roster move Thursday.

More news: Angels GM Perry Minasian Breaks Silence on Trade Deadline Moves

Rather than trading their veteran on expiring contracts — Tyler Anderson, Kenley Jansen, Luis Rengifo and Yoan Moncada — they kept everyone and added at the margins.

“He’s a classic change-of-scenery guy,” Minasian said of Peraza. “He's not performed well from the offensive standpoint at the Major League level. But defensively, it's a very intriguing player. Historically, from a Minor League standpoint, he's performed offensively, can play different positions, can really defend at third base, can also play short and second.

More news: Angels Announce Trade, Cut Offseason Acquisition

"We felt like it was an outstanding opportunity to take a chance on a guy that has talent.”

Not spoken but perhaps just as importantly: Peraza, 25, comes cheap ($772,700) and offers four years of team control beyond this season. It's a lower-risk move than any headlines about "trading for the Yankees' starting third baseman" suggest.

For the Angels, the acquisition of Peraza amounts to a "taking a flier" more than a "win-now move."

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.