Royals want an LAA outfielder, MLB insider says team could spend big

The GM Meetings are going on right now, so trades are beginning to slowly ramp up around the sport. It’s a phenomenal time for high-ranking executives to gauge the market and determine what deal might be the best for their team in 2026 and beyond. Naturally, the Angels are viewed as a seller and many teams around baseball would love one of the two outfielders who were the top vote getters in the team’s clubhouse as their MVP last season. However, a seller’s stance would make little sense given an MLB insider’s report on how Arte Moreno might operate this offseason.

Angels Rumors: Royals want an LAA outfielder, MLB insider says team could spend big

Many teams around the sport want to pry Jo Adell or Taylor Ward away from the Angels, and the Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs are prime candidates to do so. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported that the Royals are asking around for help in the outfield, and mentioned the Angels were a possible contender to send them an outfielder.

The Angels are in an interesting position this offseason. They always need prospect depth, and they actually do have a solid array of big leaguers that could be candidates to be moved in order to stack their MiLB teams. Adell and Ward proved that they are preeminent sluggers, and Adell in particular could net the Angels a massive haul.

However, the team might not have it’s mind made up as to how they want to direct themselves next year…

Per FanSided’s Robert Murray, who was reporting live from the GM Meetings: “The Los Angeles Angels could sneakily be a team to spend big this offseason…but the Angels are a team to watch here, especially with the unpredictable Arte Moreno.”

Unpredictable was the operative word Murray used there, as all signs should point to the team dealing Ward in order to bolster the team’s pitching depth. The X-factor for the Angels is that Perry Minasian and Kurt Suzuki are on expiring contracts and both will undoubtedly push for win-now moves in order to salvage their positions with the organization. The X-factor to the X-factor, however, is that the Angels have so, so much money coming off the books after the 2026 season.

Arte Moreno surely is unpredictable, but he certainly is bottom-line oriented more than anything. Spending big money for a lame duck GM and head coach makes little sense, given that Moreno will be off of Anthony Rendon, Jorge Soler, Robert Stephenson, Travis d’Arnaud, and Ward’s contracts after next year. Would he want to push the luxury tax line a year before receiving a massive cash infusion for a team that will likely underwhelm yet again? Only time will tell, as there are never any assurances as to how Moreno will operate on any given day.