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LA Angels Thursday News Crash

July 16, 2026

How agressive will the Angels be at the trade deadline? John Mozeliak says he has started to “noodle around on it.” Angels trade deadline outlook. Semi-paywalled.

This article explores every team’s biggest need going into the trade deadline. It looks like the Twins or Red Sox could really use a guy like Zack Neto right now. Trevor Story might help the Red Sox if he comes back from injury OK. The Twins, on the other hand, might not be buyers.

The Nationals reinstated right-hander Max Kranick from the 60 day IL. The Astros are trading Lance McCullers Jr. and Colton Gordon to the Brewers. Left-hander Charlie Barnes cleared waivers and elected free agency. Orioles left-hander Keegan Akin had Tommy John surgery.

MLBTR revealed their new MLB Payroll Tracker.

Photo credit: Rex Fregosi

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Super Member

Charles Sutton

57 minutes ago

Wander Franco is trying to make a comeback in the Dominican Republic.

Trusted Member

milehigh

7 minutes ago

Reply to Charles Sutton

Keep wandering, Franco

Super Member

TrojanBoiler

1 hour ago

I love how trade articles about the Angels keep mentioning “they would love to see Soler heat up”

Nothing is going to make him tradeable at this point. Maybe if he hits a HR in every single game between now and the deadline, but that’s it.

Editor

Legend

Jeff Joiner

2 hours ago

Interviewing Rylan Lujo this afternoon. If you have any questions you want me to squeeze in, let me know and I will try.

Super Member

2pints

2 hours ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

Is it pronounced Lu-jo or Lu-ho?

Thanks, I’ll take the answer off the air.

Editor

Legend

Jeff Joiner

1 minute ago

Reply to 2pints

The latter.

Legend

Fansince1971

1 hour ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

Id be interested to know how he thinks the transition from aluminum bats to heavier wooden bats will be and what he is doing to get himself ready for that transition

Legend

Pineapple12

3 hours ago

2. Jared Grindlinger, OF, Angels
HS—Huntington Beach, CA • No. 12 overall pick

In the 2015 draft, the consensus in the scouting community was that Austin Riley was a better prospect as a pitcher than a hitter. Special assistant and longtime White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker and the late, great Roy Clark were both adamant that Riley had a special bat. Braves scouting director Brian Bridges felt the same way. Atlanta drafted Riley at No. 41 overall, using the competitive-balance pick received from the Padres when the Braves traded Craig Kimbrel and B.J. Upton to San Diego a few months earlier.

The Braves believed that two-way high school players like Riley, and Freddie Freeman before him, had an intangible and intuitive approach to hitting because they had been legitimate pitching prospects in high school. It led to an advanced hitting approach, and an uncommon understanding of what pitchers may be trying to do—for example, Freeman never wanted to watch too much video on opposing pitchers—because of their own experiences on the mound.

Grindlinger reminds me of Riley, and a little bit of Freeman and even some Jac Caglianone, as a two-way player with a big offensive upside. Riley was a young 18-year-old when the Braves drafted him, but Grindlinger is younger still. He turned 17 years old on April 16 this year and will already be in his second pro season before he turns 18. Grindlinger already is projectable at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds and likely is not done growing.

One other note here: This pick could also be considered something of a brilliant hedge by the Angels if the new Collective Bargaining Agreement eliminates high school players from the draft. That’s because Grindlinger will likely be younger than many of the high school players drafted next year.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/10-2026-mlb-draft-picks-who-could-be-great-value/

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Pineapple12

3 hours ago

Reply to Pineapple12

8. Jarren Advincula, 2B, Angels
Georgia Tech • No. 45 overall pick

I could have included Advincula with Grindlinger, but I like this player so much that I felt like he deserved his own capsule. Advincula can flat-out hit and was my favorite college bat. He earned this distinction by leading Division I with 111 hits and posting a .434 average, which included a .484 mark in the ACC. Advincula has tremendous plate discipline and finished the 2026 season with 30 walks versus 16 strikeouts.

Players with this type of college performance tend to move quickly through the minor leagues. The Angels’ past administration was known for—eh, rushing isn’t even the word—blitzing players through the minors. I hope they let Advincula force their hands, because I think he will. He doesn’t offer big power, and he’s probably going to end up playing second base, but he has a special bat and has hit everywhere, with the potential to win a batting title someday. Advincula is a surefire MLB player who reminds me a lot of Luis Arraez.

Last edited 3 hours ago by Pineapple12

Super Member

MH252525

1 hour ago

Reply to Pineapple12

so I watched his highlight video on YouTube and the guy has more pop than I thought he would based on the profiles I read. Maybe scouts are just thinking his power won’t transfer to wood bats but if you watch the YouTube video dude has significantly more pop than Arraez at least IMHO.

Editor

Legend

Jeff Joiner

29 minutes ago

Reply to Pineapple12

Really love this pick. I’m no Turk’s but this is my favorite pick of the draft.

Huge upside with serious risk in the first. Really competent, hitting machine in the second.

Legend

Pineapple12

1 minute ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

Our first 3 picks perfectly complement each other and the more I read about industry opinions on our draft the more hyped I get. Instead of Perry galaxy braining the draft, we went upside with Grindlinger and high MLB probability with the next 4.

I do want to give Perry a little credit for our minor league pitching depth. It took him 5 years to figure it out but it looks very promising.

Editor

Legend

Jeff Joiner

2 hours ago

Reply to Pineapple12

Grindlinger says that pitching makes him a better hitter and the inverse. And it makes sense.

Most of these guys were the studs on their little league teams and did both.

Trusted Member

GonFishin

3 hours ago

I hoped Mike had a great time in Philly. Seems like they rolled out the red carpet and showed him deserved love.

Now he gets to come back to an angry/apathetic fan base, a clueless manager, and Strike Neto and Jorge Soler Panel setting the table for him.

Legend

Pineapple12

3 hours ago

Angels prospect Kendri Faña was named a DSL All-Star just prior to taking the mound today where he sat 93-95 and popped a 96 — special fastball projection for Angels highest bonus int’l arm in 13 years

https://x.com/i/status/2077811553987149824

Legend

Pineapple12

3 hours ago

Reds lock up Chase Burns for 7 years $105 million. I’d do that deal in a heartbeat for both Detmers and Soriano.

Incredible value and easily tradeable.

Trusted Member

GonFishin

3 hours ago

Reply to Pineapple12

I don’t know. I’m not on Soriano anymore long term. Would rather sell high on both than lock them up, though if we could use 1, I’d give that contract to Reid.

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Pineapple12

3 hours ago

Reply to GonFishin

My preference is to trade both as well though $15 mill a year for a pitcher that easily generates 2+ WAR is a steal.

Last edited 3 hours ago by Pineapple12

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steelgolf

5 hours ago

Thursday, 7/16/26, the All Star game is over, and Soler is still on the team, and will surely be crayoned into the next line up. The universe hates me!

Super Member

Roy Hobbs

5 hours ago

Reply to steelgolf

If Soler is still on the roster at after the trade deadline, we’ll know nothing has changed no one in the organization is living in reality.

Editor

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Jeff Joiner

4 hours ago

Reply to Roy Hobbs

If Soler is on the roster it is a clear sign of the obvious: nobody wants him.

The only way Soler is booted off the roster is by DFA’ing him and eating the contract.

Trusted Member

milehigh

6 hours ago

Not sure if this is available to everyone, but this article is about why the trade deadline is more complicated this year.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7448740/2026/07/16/mlb-trade-deadline-buyers-sellers-tarik-skubal/?source=dailyemail&campaign=13928155&userId=30203421&source=dailyemail

Legend

Fansince1971

7 hours ago

Remember when Perry said this team was “turning a corner”?? The Angels have been selling an optimism not based in reality for a long time – well over a decade. I think that continues now, even with Perry gone and is ever-present here at CTPG.

Mo “noodling” and Molly Jolly being promoted and seemingly in charge are just more of the same “sale” of bs.

Super Member

Roy Hobbs

6 hours ago

Reply to Fansince1971

If the deadline comes and goes like Ohtani’s last year, the club will be stalled for another 3 years. Until I see it happen, I’ll be very surprised to see anyone traded other than Adell, much like Ward last year. We have the worst record in baseball with decent injury luck, we’re not 1 or 2 players away from competing.

I don’t “want” Neto, Soriano, or Detmers gone, but not trading them will ensure we will continue to go no where. I just don’t think we’re serious, but I don’t know what JM told Molly.

But there is always the winter. perhaps JM lets the new guy figure out what he want’s to do.

Love the statement from MLB Trade Rumors “why can’t the Angels accept reality” about the state of their franchise?

Last edited 5 hours ago by Roy Hobbs

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Senator_John_Blutarsky

5 hours ago

Reply to Fansince1971

In Perry’s defense, going in circles is “turning a corner”. 😂

Member

dontbatvlad4th

5 hours ago

Reply to Fansince1971

I’m definitely not holding my breath. Fool me once shame on you, fool me 87,000 times….

Super Member

TrojanBoiler

4 hours ago

Reply to Fansince1971

I will be waiting until the trade deadline passes before judging the new state of the franchise. This isn’t Mo’s first rodeo. He is not going to project they are about to initiate a fire sale – and if he is bluffing, he has the Angels’ reputation behind him to support his bluff.

There is a possible reality out there where Moreno has finally accepted that running the team like a marketing company is not going to be profitable forever, and he needs someone with baseball experience making decisions. He hears the chants, he sees the empty stadium on weeknights. The fact that we took a high schooler with out first round pick is at least a little bit of a sign that we aren’t thinking near term anymore.

Am I holding my breath? Absolutely not. But this year I am not going to let myself get pre-mad about the trade deadline when we haven’t seen it play out yet.