How the Angels’ clubhouse handles big trades

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

It could be the first of several moves for the Angels, who are clearly sellers ahead of Tuesday’s 3 p.m. PT Trade Deadline. They have other trade candidates, including fellow reliever Luis García, who is the most likely to be dealt because he’s set to be a free agent after the season.

But they’ll have harder decisions to make with lefty Tyler Anderson, infielder Luis Rengifo and outfielder Taylor Ward, because they’re all under team control beyond this year. Anderson and Rengifo are eligible to become free agents after next season, while Ward can do so after the 2026 campaign.

Anderson, though, said he’s trying not to think about the possibility of being traded. The All-Star is under contract next year at a reasonable $13 million, which makes him more valuable but is also a reason why the club is reluctant to move him. It would be tough to replace his production next year at that cost.

“You just gotta be where your feet are,” Anderson said after allowing three runs over seven innings with 10 strikeouts on Saturday. “You owe [it] to your teammates to be around every day. I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere, but whether you stay or go, every day you’re an Angel, you’re an Angel. So you owe [it] to everybody here to be here and be present and show up for them every day.”

Anderson, who was also teammates with Estévez in Colorado from 2016-19 before they both joined the Angels as free agents before last season, said it was tough to see Estévez traded before Saturday’s game.

“You hate to see him go,” Anderson said. “He’s awesome. He really was a leader over here, especially for all the guys in the bullpen and especially any young Latin players. He’s a true professional, he takes care of his business and goes about stuff the right way. Awesome dude, great human being. So you hate to see him go. But obviously we’re happy for him to go to a spot with a chance to win.”

Estévez made the rounds with his teammates after being traded to the Phillies, especially taking time to give parting words of advice to the club’s youngsters. He had a special moment with catcher Logan O’Hoppe in the dugout and also told flamethrowing rookie Ben Joyce not to change anything with his mentality or stuff when he inevitably gets the nod as closer.

O’Hoppe said it meant a lot to talk with Estévez after he was traded, but he added that he doesn’t believe the looming Deadline is having an adverse effect on the clubhouse.

“It’s part of the business,” O’Hoppe said. “I wished him the best and I’ll be keeping tabs on him. He was a big part of this room. It’s weird to see his locker empty. But to be honest, the only time I hear about the [Trade Deadline] is when the [media] brings it up. It’s not something we talk about. Obviously, we see the moves around the league, but it doesn’t distract us from the game play at all.”

Angels manager Ron Washington said the coaching staff is responsible for keeping a positive atmosphere for the players leading up the Trade Deadline, and that’s why they’ve been able to tune out the outside noise.

He said it’ll be tough to replace Estévez both on the field and in the clubhouse, but that players will need to step up. García will be the closer in Estévez’s absence and Joyce will be elevated to the role of the club’s top setup reliever. But if García is moved before Tuesday’s Deadline, Joyce will be thrown in the fire as a rookie closer.

“The mood of our young players is our mood because we set the tone,” Washington said. “If we go around here moping like we lost this player or we’re going to lose this player, it gives them the right to do that. These young kids, this is the first time they’ve had to go through this. They know Estévez is gone, but they’re not making it an issue. It’s an issue because of what he’s done for us, but in the game of baseball, you need to have someone step up. That’s the mindset we’re trying to instill.”