Angels Named Best Trade Fit For California Native Star Third Baseman

The Los Angeles Angels finished dead last in the American League West division with a 72-90 record in 2025.

Los Angeles hasn’t been to the postseason in over a decade, somehow managing to miss every season with prime Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani on the roster. Trout is getting older and his back is degenerating with every passing second, and Ohtani is still in Los Angeles but as a member of the Dodgers.

The Angels have been an interesting team to watch over the past year. They got off to a sensational start to the season, followed by a lot of losing. Then, they got hot right around the trade deadline, prompting the team to add some depth instead of trading away veteran pieces.

Los Angeles proceeded to lose a lot more and finished how they did. They traded left fielder Taylor Ward to the Baltimore Orioles for right-hander Grayson Rodriguez to improve the starting rotation but got weaker within the lineup.

Reports suggest the Angels want to spend more money this offseason, which probably sounds foreign to the fanbase because the team rarely spends money.

The last time the Angels splurged on a free agent was third baseman Anthony Rendon in 2019, signing him to a seven-year, $245 million deal, which backfired immensely. Los Angeles is paying Rendon to sit at home and they are paying handsomely. The Angels had the worst production at third base out of any team, making it a position to prioritize in the winter.

There is a third baseman currently under contract that is likely to be moved at some point and according to MLB.com’s Mike Petriello, the Angels are the best fit for this California native.

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado is expected to be dealt as the team shifts into a rebuild and he could find a new home near his old stomping grounds.

“This might be it. This might be the spot. The Angels, 72-90 last year and having missed the playoffs for the past 11 seasons, might not be an obvious landing spot for a player hoping to find a contender,” Petriello wrote Tuesday. “But they continue to operate as though they are, and the addition of Grayson Rodriguez surely opened some eyes across the sport. With Anthony Rendon completely out of the mix, the Angels had baseball’s weakest third base situation in 2025, a last-place ranking they’re projected to repeat in 2026. Although Arenado grew up in Southern California as a Dodgers fan, he attended high school in Lake Forest, which is far closer to Angel Stadium than it is Dodger Stadium. If he wants to get back home, he’ll never have a better chance than this.”

Arenado’s offensive production has been declining over the last few years, but he still has pop and is a prime bounce-back candidate on a new team. He can still flash the leather with the best of them at third base, so if the asking price isn’t an arm and a leg, the Angels should toss their name in the hat.