MLB Insider Names Angels' Single Biggest Trade Priority Ahead of Deadline

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

The Los Angeles Angels have the players needed to end a seven-year playoff drought. Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Taylor Ward could all be named All-Stars next week. However, the team still sits on the outside looking in (37-45 record) and could use the upcoming MLB trade deadline to improve.

Los Angeles Angels Trade Rumors

The Angels have a healthy rotation headlined by Noah Syndergaard and Patrick Sandoval. They also need little to no help in the bullpen. That leaves an underperforming infield as the area to fix. ESPN's David Schoenfield sees Cincinnati's third baseman Brandon Drury as the perfect trade target.

Since losing Anthony Rendon to a season-ending wrist injury, LA hasn't gotten much from replacement starters like Matt Duffy and Luis Rengifo. Meanwhile, Drury is in the midst of the best season of his career and has a case to be the only Reds player to make the 2022 All-Star game.

Drury's 49 runs scored would rank second on the Angels, while his 17 home runs would only trail that of Ohtani and Trout. The 29-year-old also owns a respectable slash line of .266/.326/.525 across 70 games played and has racked up 45 RBI. He is capable of sliding right into the heart of LA's lineup.

The Angels surely won't be the only team interested in the versatile defender, though. Creating a package capable of enticing the Reds enough to make a deal could be crucial to their World Series hopes. Hopes that LA has +7500 odds to see come true, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.