Reid Detmers has been the second-best story in trade deadline rumor circles this summer. And unlike Tarik Skubal, whose availability is genuinely unclear, Detmers is almost certainly going somewhere before August 3.
The Angels’ left-hander has posted a 2.42 ERA with 51 strikeouts over his past seven starts. That is ace-level production over a two-month stretch. He is 26 years old. He is controllable through 2028. He is on a reasonable arbitration salary. Every contender needs to make a call about him.
The Angels’ situation is what makes this move inevitable. Los Angeles is 41-49 and buried in fourth place in the AL West. They are 14 games behind the Astros. They are 11 games behind a wild card spot. Their offense has been better than expected. Their pitching, outside of Detmers, has been mediocre. The rebuild has been slower than management planned.
Arte Moreno’s front office, led by Perry Minasian, has been reluctant to sell for years. They kept holding on to trade chips year after year, watching those players lose value while the farm system atrophied. That approach has finally caught up. The Angels have one of the worst prospect depths in baseball. They need to reset.
Detmers is the perfect chip because his return will be genuinely large. He is a left-hander with three-plus years of control at a reasonable salary. He has proven he can pitch in high-leverage situations. He has room to grow into an even better version of himself with a good pitching coach and a competitive environment.
The Cubs are the most obvious suitor. Chicago manager Craig Counsell has said publicly that the Cubs need pitching help. Their rotation has been decent but not championship-caliber. Detmers slots in as a co-ace with Justin Steele. That gives the Cubs a genuine 1-2 punch for October baseball.
The Dodgers are also lurking. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been the ace this year but Tyler Glasnow has struggled to stay healthy. Detmers would give them an insurance policy against another Glasnow injury and provide veteran depth for the postseason.
The Phillies could pivot toward Detmers if they cannot land Skubal. Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler and Ranger Suarez are already a strong front three. Adding Detmers as a fourth starter would give Philadelphia the deepest rotation in baseball for October.
The prospect return is where things get interesting. The Angels are going to demand a top-100 prospect plus multiple secondary pieces. That is fair value for what Detmers offers. Whichever team is willing to part with their best prospect and take on the salary commitment through 2028 will land him.
The Angels have been criticized for years for holding onto trade chips. This is their chance to reverse course. Detmers is the biggest name they will move this year. Whichever team lands him becomes the team to beat in whatever league they end up in.
The deadline is August 3. Detmers will not be in an Angels uniform on August 4. Bank on it.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
