Angels Reportedly Not Planning to Trade Possible Nationals Pitching Targets
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After a disastrous three games to close out their series against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Washington Nationals were able to rebound in a big way to win their set against the Baltimore Orioles.
That now gives the Nationals a winning record once again, and they are two games out of the final NL Wild Card spot, which is occupied by the fading St. Louis Cardinals, who have gone 3-7 over their last 10 games.
It's unclear if Washington is going to become shocking buyers ahead of this year's trade deadline. Coming into the season, everyone expected them to be sellers. But with a chance to make the playoffs at this point in the campaign, adding some pitchers to the mix could put them in a prime spot to play meaningful baseball for the first time since 2019.
Angels Not Expected to Trade Reid Detmers, Jose Soriano
Unfortunately for the Nationals, it doesn't seem like two of the premier arms that could have been shopped around will actually be placed on the trade market. According to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY, the Los Angeles Angels currently have no plans to deal their two best starting pitchers; Reid Detmers and Jose Soriano.
"The Los Angeles Angels also plan to retain their key players at the deadline with owner Arte Moreno not wanting to unload starters Reid Detmers and Jose Soriano, or outfielder Jo Adell," the insider reported.
Washington was mentioned as a possible landing spot for both arms if they were made available by the Angels, which made sense. The Nationals have clear needs across the board when it comes to their pitching staff, so adding a frontline starter to this rotation would have upgraded the entire unit. And both Detmers and Soriano would have been around for longer than just 2026, as they are under team control through the 2028 season.
Reid Detmers Would Command Huge Trade Package
If Los Angeles does make Detmers available, though, then Washington needs to be prepared to pay a ton to land the star left-hander. Per Nightengale, the Angels "could demand a package" that would net a return greater than what the Detroit Tigers might ask for two-time AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. Because Detmers has multiple years of club control remaining -- and the fact that he is earning just $2.7 million this season -- that makes him one of the most attractive assets in the league.
With that in mind, it seems unlikely that the Nationals would win the sweepstakes for Detmers. While Washington does have a farm system that is full of high-end young talent, they are still focused on building things for the future, so shipping out a package that features some of their best prospects doesn't seem like something new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni would do this year.
Regardless, the Angels are a team to keep an eye on ahead of the trade deadline, as their decision to either shop Detmers and Soriano or not could impact the Nationals.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai