When word leaked out that the Dodgers had signed Kyle Tucker on Thursday night, the whole baseball world practically came to a standstill. For supporters of the Los Angeles Angels, this is just another instance of a cross-town team spending money as fast as they can to win titles while the Angels are mired in mediocrity. But in this instance, the Angels had a secret strategy that went unnoticed.
Throughout the offseason, there have been concerns about the Angels outfield. Jo Adell’s impressive 2025 can’t quite make up for his annoying inconsistency in the past, LA traded Taylor Ward away, and Mike Trout’s injury history is currently a major warning sign. Top prospect Nelson Rada was thought to be able to help, but the Angels had other ideas.
The Angels made a three-team deal with the Reds and Rays on Thursday night, right as the Tucker news was breaking. The Angels acquired outfielder Josh Lowe, while the Rays acquired Gavin Lux and Chris Clark and the Reds acquired Brock Burke.
Angels land Josh Lowe in truly weird trade while everyone was talking about Kyle Tucker
Lowe, a player who showed great promise a few years ago but has had serious consistency problems recently, is being acquired by the Angels. Lowe had an 835 OPS in 135 games and a 3.7 rWAR 20/30 season at the end of 2023. Recurrent oblique injuries, among other things, reduced Lowe’s explosiveness, but before being transferred in 2026, he seemed hopeful about getting better.
In return, the Angels sent one pitcher to each of Tampa Bay and Cincinnati, making it a real three-team deal. Chris Clark, who has yet to make his major league debut, finished last year with a 5.29 ERA in 144.2 innings despite striking out a lot of batters. Although Burke pitched quite well, the opportunity to take on a true lottery ticket like Lowe was too enticing to pass up. Burke was simply a waiver claim by the Angels to fill a necessity last season.
In the end, this is a risk. The Angels’ lineup now seems quite plausible if Lowe bounces back, especially if Zach Neto and Trout can continue to play. Even if it might not be a Kyle Tucker-caliber move, Lowe’s addition might nonetheless have a significant impact.
