Prospects haul brightens Angels' tough week

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.

ANAHEIM -- It’s been a tough week for the Angels, who saw Mike Trout get ruled out for the rest of the season after re-tearing his meniscus in his left knee, Anthony Rendon land on the injured list with a low back strain and Luis Rengifo exit Wednesday’s game with a right wrist flareup on a swing in the eighth inning.

And it all came after the Angels traded away closer Carlos Estévez to the Phillies on Saturday and veteran reliever Luis García to the Red Sox shortly before Tuesday’s 3 p.m. PT Trade Deadline. General manager Perry Minasian opted to hold onto lefty Tyler Anderson, outfielder Taylor Ward and Rengifo, who are all under contract next year. But considering the Angels aren’t looking to rebuild, Minasian believed it was the right call.

“We took a look at what was presented and did what made sense for us,” Minasian said. “We have some talented players. I understand the questions. The players that have two years left, that have one year left, they’re very talented players. And very productive players. With that being said, in general, it had to make sense. There had to be a certain value coming back. You have to line up. That’s not easy.”

But the Angels did come away with a haul of prospects in their two trades, especially in the move that sent Estévez to Philadelphia for pitching prospects George Klassen and Samuel Aldegheri. Klassen immediately became the club’s No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, while Aldegheri is ranked as the Angels' No. 8 prospect.

García, meanwhile, was sent to Boston for outfielder Matthew Lugo, first baseman Niko Kavadas and right-handers Yeferson Vargas and Ryan Zeferjahn. Lugo is considered the best prospect of the bunch, and he is ranked No. 11 in the system, while Kavadas joined the Top 30 at No. 24.

Here’s a look at all six prospects acquired by the Angels ahead of the Trade Deadline:

RHP George Klassen
Klassen, 22, has big stuff with a fastball that can reach triple digits and finally learned how to harness it this season. He was a sixth-rounder in the 2023 Draft, but walked 8.5 batters per nine innings in his junior year at the University of Minnesota after coming back from Tommy John surgery. But this year, he’s cut it to 3.2 walks per nine innings and has posted a 1.97 ERA with 89 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings across Single-A and High-A. The Angels are likely to be aggressive with his development.

LHP Samuel Aldegheri
The 6-foot-1 lefty is unique in that he’s a native of Italy, and he signed with Philadelphia as an amateur free agent for $210,000 in July 2019. The 22-year-old has developed into a solid starter, but doesn’t have the plus-stuff that Klassen possesses. Aldegheri, though, still generates plenty of whiffs, as he's posted a 3.23 ERA with 109 strikeouts in 78 innings across High-A and Double-A.

OF Matthew Lugo
Lugo, a nephew of former All-Star Carlos Beltran, has had a strong year across Double-A and Triple-A this season, hitting .285/.375/.567 with 16 homers, 20 doubles and 54 RBIs in 78 games. He's bounced back from a down year at Double-A after making some mechanical adjustments at the plate. The 23-year-old was a second-rounder in 2019, and he is considered a corner outfielder close to reaching the Majors.

1B Niko Kavadas
Kavadas, 25, is a masher who hit .281/.424/.551 with 17 homers, 20 doubles and 63 RBIs in 83 games with Triple-A Worcester this season. The left-handed hitter possesses plenty of power and patience, but also strikes out a high rate. Kavadas, an 11th-round pick who signed for overslot out of Notre Dame in 2021, is also considered close to being ready for the Majors.

RHP Yeferson Vargas
Vargas is the youngest of the bunch at 19 years old, and he just reached Single-A after starting the season in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League. The 6-foot righty has posted a 3.03 ERA with 34 strikeouts and 15 walks in 35 2/3 innings across two levels this season. The Red Sox signed him as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2023, and he’s touched as high as 98 mph with his fastball.

RHP Ryan Zeferjahn
The 26-year-old has posted a 3.52 ERA with 53 strikeouts and 20 walks in 38 1/3 innings across Double-A and Triple-A this year. He was a third-round pick out of the University of Kansas in 2019, and he began as a starting pitcher before being converted to relief in 2022. The 6-foot-5 right-hander throws from a three-quarters arm slot, and he has a fastball that sits in the high 90s, but Zeferjahn needs to work on his command.