What an incredible trade deadline across MLB this season. There were big bats added in Seattle, killer bullpens created in SD, NY (Mets), and Philly, and prospects flying everywhere.
San Diego was the most active. They landed stud closer Mason Miller from the A’s in a package that included one of the top prospects in all of baseball. The Padres day was just getting started as they were active all day.
A great storyline is an added bonus to the transactions, so Carlos Correa going back to the Astros got a ton of press. He looks natural in cheater orange.
Not to be outdone, the Angels were buyers and added two relievers per the team site. I know the main site’s job is to promote the team, but that headline is laughable.
But, wait, there’s more. Arte’s other favorite team sent us Oswald Peraza, who is currently sporting a very Kevin Newman-esque OPS+ of 26. The trade was met with much rejoicing….in New York.
Granted, New York can be a tough place to play. Let’s take a look at the player the Angels are getting and why he was available.
I could go on a tangent here and really lay into Perry and Arte, but there’s nothing I can say that Clark Griswold hasn’t already said.
That being said, he is only 25 years old, cheap, and under club control through 2029. He has less than 1 full season of MLB at bats and did slash a very nice .268/.347/.421 across the minor leagues.
This isn’t exactly how I’d have gone younger at the trade deadline, but if you told me in March the Angels would add Peraza I’d be happy. The fact he’s the lone trade of note at the deadline, however, elicits the Griswold rant.
Really, there were too many trades to recap and have space to cover what the Angels did on the field this past week. Check out the trusty MLBTR site for all trade news.
On the field, the Angels had a pretty good week. First there was a split of a 4 game home series with Seattle. That was followed by a series win against Texas that featured two games straight out of Dr. Seuss books.
Zack Neto was honored with his first bobblehead night last Friday and produced our Highlight of the Week, an extra inning single to win the game.
All in all, it was a pretty good week for the kids. Jose Soriano pitched a 7 inning gem against Texas on Wednesday night, allowing a lone earned run. On Neto Bobblehead night, Soriano went 6 innings and allowed 2 runs. Over those 13 combined innings he tallied 12 K’s against only 3 walks. On the year he’s sporting a very nice 3.65 ERA across 133 innings pitched with 115 strikeouts.
Taking a look at his Baseball Savant page, his fastball is a true weapon and he’s turned into a really good pitcher.
I’m a little surprised at his breaking run value. His knuckle curve is a nasty pitch when it is on. But all in all, he’s throwing hard, not getting hit too hard, and keeping the ball on the ground at an elite level. Let’s hope this is the beginning of a front end starting pitcher.
Nolan Schanuel is another kid who is quietly turning in to a good player. He launched a two run bomb off a lefty on Wednesday and is currently sporting a slash line of .277/.365/.403. That’s a tide wRC+ of 115 with improving power.
The key with Nolan is the power increase is not leading to a corresponding decrease in on base percentage. In fact, the OBP is a little higher than last year’s. He’s like a boxer who is content to win rounds using the jab but will throw the big right hand when he sees an opening. He’s picking his spots to search for power and seems to be finding them more often.
So now we know the Angels 2025 roster for the rest of the year. A Wild Card isn’t likely, but we are trying for it. Between that and the young kids playing well, this is shaping up to be an entertaining stretch run.
Enjoy your weekend and link what I missed. You can catch me, John, and some of your other CtPG friends at the game on Saturday Night. If you’re going and didn’t get a ticket with us, drop a line in the comments and we can try to link up.
In the meantime, let’s hope Chafin walks out to this song.
