John Mozeliak has already made his presence felt since taking over the Los Angeles Angels, with the new baseball operations regime beginning to reshape the organization.
Mozeliak has made significant trades, including moves involving Jose Soriano and Jo Adell, while also introducing changes to the way the Angels develop their prospects and approach the MLB Draft.
Taking over in the middle of a season naturally limits how much a general manager can change. Even an aggressive trade deadline cannot completely transform a roster while the team is still competing.
Some Angels players have already done enough to potentially play themselves out of the organization’s plans for 2027. While many of those players were fringe options anyway, the bigger question now is what Mozeliak ultimately wants the roster to look like.
The Angels could choose to rebuild and potentially listen to offers for players such as Reid Detmers and Zach Neto, or they could decide to build around their existing core and move on from some of the younger players who no longer fit that vision.
Nolan Schanuel
Nolan Schanuel presents a difficult decision for the Angels.
The 24-year-old has shown an ability to make consistent contact and draw walks, while his offensive production has remained above league average in terms of wRC+ throughout his major-league career.
Those qualities would be particularly valuable from a player capable of providing strong defence at another position. However, Schanuel’s profile becomes less appealing when he is primarily a first baseman.
Another concern is the lack of significant development since his arrival in the majors in 2023.
Schanuel has made small improvements in bat speed, but his ranking in that category has only moved from the second percentile in 2024 to the fifth percentile in 2026. That’s hardly the kind of progress the Angels would have hoped to see.
With few attractive free-agent first basemen available, Los Angeles could still retain him. However, options such as Vaughn Grissom and Moises Ballesteros could potentially provide coverage at first base.
Schanuel is also entering his first year of arbitration eligibility this winter, giving the Angels another financial reason to consider moving on.
Grayson Rodriguez
Grayson Rodriguez could also find himself outside the Angels’ plans.
Los Angeles surrendered Taylor Ward to acquire the right-hander, which might normally encourage a front office to give him more time to prove the trade was worthwhile.
Mozeliak, however, wasn’t responsible for that decision and therefore has no reason to allow the previous regime’s investment to influence his evaluation of Rodriguez.
There was a period when it appeared Rodriguez might be turning his season around. He posted a 2.93 ERA in August, suggesting that he was finally finding consistency alongside the rest of the Angels’ rotation.
Unfortunately, September has gone in the opposite direction, with his ERA climbing to 5.73 during the month.
The 26-year-old also comes with an injury history and is entering arbitration, which could make his future with the Angels complicated.
Rodriguez probably wouldn’t command a massive return on the trade market, but starting pitching remains valuable across MLB, particularly when teams can acquire a controllable arm.
That could give Los Angeles an opportunity to trade Rodriguez rather than simply non-tendering him.
Ben Joyce
Ben Joyce may be the most difficult player on this list for the Angels to move on from.
The reliever has the kind of raw arm strength that can make teams reluctant to give up on him. Joyce has reached 105 mph, creating comparisons with some of baseball’s most explosive young relievers.
But his injury history is a major concern.
Since reaching the majors in 2023, Joyce has spent significant stretches on the injured list, while his injury problems also go back to his college days at the University of Tennessee.
That raises an important question for the Angels: does the ability to throw a baseball at 105 mph outweigh the risks that come with it?
His results have also not completely matched the hype surrounding his velocity.
Before this season, Joyce’s best career strikeout rate was just 23.2%. That number has improved to 29.5% in 2026, but the sample size is extremely small, with the figure coming over only 15â…“ innings.
More concerning is his 14.8% walk rate, which suggests that the improved strikeout numbers have come with significant control issues.
Like Schanuel and Rodriguez, Joyce is also arbitration-eligible.
The Angels therefore face an interesting opportunity. Joyce’s reputation and elite velocity could potentially generate more interest on the trade market than his actual production warrants.
If Mozeliak believes the organization can obtain a significant return for Joyce, trading him now could ultimately prove more valuable than waiting and discovering that his considerable potential never fully translates into consistent MLB production.
