Roster Fire Sale Update: How Jo Adell and José Soriano Are Performing Since Leaving Anaheim

Jo Adell hits a moonshot and José Soriano captures his 10th win. Discover how they, plus Ryan Zeferjahn, Brent Suter, and Kirby Yates, are performing since leaving the Angels

Aug 18, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Jo Adell, right, celebrates with catcher Austin Hedges after his sixth RBI of the game against the San Francisco Giants at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At the 2026 trade deadline the Angels made the tough but correct choice to be sellers and restock their farm system. In doing so, they added their top offensive prospect and boosted their farm ranking but they did see some fan favorite players leave the franchise.

The players the Angels traded away are in playoff races and largely performing well. Let's catch up with the former Angels.

Jo Adell Had a Monster Night for Cleveland

Similar to his career with the Angels, Jo Adell is making highlight reel plays but not hitting consistently. Last night he had one of the epic Adell games that makes you drool over his potential. He went 3 for 4 including this mammoth 455 foot home run to help the Guardians win a pivotal game for a team that needs every win if they want to play in October.

Jo Adell CRUSHES a 455-foot homer high into the bleachers😳 pic.twitter.com/dfGpAla0PL

— MLB (@MLB) August 18, 2026

Overall, Adell is batting .217 with 3 home runs and 11 RBI for his new squad. Cleveland is getting what they should have expected and the Angels picked up a catcher who is performing well at the AA level.

Jose Soriano Notched his 10th Win of the Season

Aug 18, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Soriano (40) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Soriano has been particularly sharp as a Blue Jay. In 16.1 innings, Soriano has an impressive 2.70 ERA and shut down the red hot Boston Red Sox last week. He earned his 10 win of the season last night against the Tampa Bay Rays, who are another powerhouse.

The Blue Jays gave up a really solid prospect package headed by Arjun Nimmala but so far have to be happy with Soriano's production, especially against their AL East rivals.

Kirby Yates and Brent Suter are Both Dealing

Aug 8, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Kirby Yates (54) pitches against the New York Mets during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Angels fans might wonder if their 2026 season plays out differently if key bullpen pieces pitched this strongly. Both Yates and Suter have small sample sizes with their new teams, but both are performing well.

Yates pitched a scoreless perfect inning on Monday and has 8 K's in 7.2 innings to back up his 2.35 ERA with the Pirates.

Down in Atlanta, Brent Suter is providing the Braves with quality relief work. Generating soft contact works with a good defense behind you and Suter's 2.25 ERA in 8 innings is proof of that.

Ryan Zeferjahn is Struggling with the Cubs

Aug 11, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn (56) walks to the dugout after being removed from the game against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It only takes one bad week to make a relief pitcher's stats look bad for quite a while. Unfortunately for Zeferjahn and the Cubs he gave up 2 runs in 1 inning to the crosstown White Sox on Monday which pushed his ERA to 8.44.

Trading a reliever for a legitimate top 50 prospect was a no brainer for the Angels. Ideally the trade will work out for both sides. It is early, but so far the Angels are looking like they really nailed this one.