MLB insider shares Angels trade speculation on Jose Soriano, Reid Detmers, that makes sense

The Los Angeles Angels are historically a team that doesn't sell off their trade assets when they should, most evident with their decision to keep Shohei Ohtani when they could've gotten a massive haul for him at the deadline.

This year, the focus will be on a pair of pitchers in Jose Soriano and Reid Detmers. While their trade odds are slim at the moment, there might be a path to either starter being dealt.

MLB insider Robert Murray of Fansided.com highlighted how a quote from John Mozeliak to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times could imply Soriano or Detmers could be on the move this summer.

A comment from John Mozeliak has an MLB insider more intrigued about a Detmers, Soriano trade

Mozeliak's quote in question is the following: "If we understand what we're doing today, we can help make us stronger tomorrow, and then look at potentially what we could do on the free-agent market, that should be something we are doing in parallel thinking."

Murray, speculating based on that quote, writes: "My view: Could that be trading, say, Detmers or Jose Soriano for a haul of prospects and then bolstering the rotation in free agency?"

Trading Detmers or Soriano would be a massive move for the Angels. Not only are they the two-best pitchers on the team right now, a team which has struggled to find good pitching, but they're also very controllable pieces.

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Both Detmers and Soriano are under club control through the 2028 season, which means an acquiring team would get them for the second half of 2026, as well as all of 2027 and 2028. That's a very valuable player to target.

Detmers has a 4.13 ERA this season with 117 strikeouts in 18 starts across 104.2 innings pitched. Soriano has come back down to earth a bit after a red-hot start, but he still has a 3.43 ERA with 111 strikeouts in 18 starts across 100 innings.

Trading either starter would surely bring back a huge return for the Angels, but they're not typically such a selling team.

However, Murray believes that could change this season with the Angels' new general manager, Mozeliak, seemingly opening the door to some short-term changes for long-term gains.

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