The Los Angeles Angels have become the favorite destination of Atlanta Braves castoffs. Entering the 2025 season, the two clubs had made 10 trades over the past four years, and were rostering three Braves castoffs from the 2024 season.
These three players, Travis d'Arnaud, Jorge Soler, and Ian Anderson, were all fan favorites of the Braves. However, just two months into the season, it's clear the Braves were right to dump them.
How the Braves' castoffs have fared with the Angels
The Angels and Braves kicked off the 2024-2025 offseason by announcing that Atlanta was trading 2021 World Series MVP Jorge Soler to Los Angeles for Griffin Canning. While the Braves likely wish they had held onto their side of the trade, Soler hasn't worked particularly well for the Angels.
The 33-year-old is slashing .217/.288/.386 with seven homers and an 89 wRC+. This is the first season since 2022 that he's had a below-average wRC+, and paired with poor defense, he currently sits at a -0.3 fWAR. While this would be a better mark than two outfielders the Braves gave at least 50 plate appearances to this year, with the return of Ronald Acuña Jr., it is clear Atlanta made the right decision to move on.
A few weeks after the Soler trade, the Braves declined fan favorite Travis d'Arnaud's option. At the time, it looked like a penny-pinching decision, but it's probably been one of Alex Anthopoulos's smartest moves in the last year.
d'Arnaud quickly signed with the Angels, and has done very little as the backup to Logan O'Hoppe. The 36-year-old has slashed .211/.273/.324 in 77 PAs, hitting just one homer and producing -0.1 fWAR. In contrast, the Braves' backup catcher, Drake Baldwin, is well-positioned to finish among the top three in NL Rookie of the Year voting this season.
The final member of the 2024 Braves (though he technically never made it back to the MLB roster) was dealt to the Angels at the end of spring training. Ian Anderson had entered camp as the favorite for the fifth spot in the rotation, but his struggles to command the zone led the Braves to make a deal with the Angels for Jose Suarez, who Los Angeles was likely DFAing anyway.
Anderson appeared in seven games for the American League's Los Angeles squad, allowing 12 runs in 9.1 innings (11.57 ERA) before being let go in April. Anderson never seemed to find the strike zone during his Angels tenure, walking nearly as many batters as he struck out.
In a funny twist, the Braves claimed him off of waivers right before their series in Colorado. He spent one day on the active roster before hitting the waiver wire again, ultimately settling in with the Gwinnett Stripers.
The righty has pitched decently in 17 innings, allowing seven runs (3.71 ERA), but still struggling with command. While the Braves likely have a few more minor league starters ahead of him in the pecking order, there's always a chance we could see Anderson make a spot start at some point this season.
Overall, all three Braves the club decided to cut ties with have failed to produce for the Angels, and one is already back. While the front office deserves some of the heat for the team's slow start, moving these three players was certainly the right decision.