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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-kurt-suzuki-pumps-brakes-anthony-rendon-retirement-rumors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Angels manager Kurt Suzuki’s comments may pump brakes on Anthony Rendon retirement rumors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Kurt-Suzukis-comments-may-pump-brakes-on-Anthony-Rendon-retirement-rumors.jpg"></figure><h1>Angels manager Kurt Suzuki’s comments may pump brakes on Anthony Rendon retirement rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-09T16:29:07-08:00">December 9th, 4:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-09T16:29:07-08:00">December 9th, 4:29pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Angels</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Between injuries and underperformance, Anthony Rendon’s tenure with the Los Angeles Angels has been a disappointment so far. With one year remaining on his contract, rumors have suggested that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-anthony-rendon-expected-retire-amid-contract-buyout-talks">Rendon may retire before the 2026 MLB season</a>. New Angels manager Kurt Suzuki is not assuming anything until he hears news from a reliable source, however.</p><p>“I don’t know, obviously I’ve seen the stories out there. Until the higher-ups tell me otherwise, I’m going to be expecting him at spring training until told otherwise,” Suzuki <a href="https://x.com/MistrettaMLB/status/1998544682268217715" rel="noopener">said during a recent media availability</a>. “Yes, I’ve talked to Anthony. Obviously we have a personal relationship being teammates in Washington, winning the World Series together. We have a relationship on a personal level, talk about family and all that type of stuff.”</p><p>Suzuki and Rendon were both part of the Washington Nationals’ 2019 World Series-winning ball club. Rendon would sign in Anaheim ahead of the following 2020 campaign. Suzuki spent 2020 in Washington as well before playing the final two seasons of his career in Anaheim with the Angels.</p><p>Now, just a few seasons later, he is the manager of the Halos. The only question is whether or not he will receive the opportunity to manage his former teammate.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-anthony-rendon-set-to-undergo-hip-surgery-ahead-of-2025-campaign">Rendon’s injury concerns are no secret</a>. He hasn’t played in more than 60 games in any of his seasons since joining the Angels. Rendon missed all of the 2025 campaign. His only successful individual season with the Halos came during the shortened 2020 season, when he played in 52 of the team’s 60 games and finished 10th in American League MVP voting.</p><p>When the Angels signed Rendon, however, they were hoping that he — along with Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout — could lead the Angels to their first postseason appearance since 2014. The move has not gone according to plan, though. Ohtani has since left and won two World Series championships with the Los Angeles Dodgers, while Trout’s career has seen a decline due to injury concerns of his own.</p><p>The Angels’ postseason drought is still intact, unfortunately.</p><p>Rendon’s future in MLB is a question mark at the moment. It remains to be seen if he will retire before the 2026 campaign.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Angels manager Kurt Suzuki’s comments may pump brakes on Anthony Rendon retirement rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/mlb-stories/mlb-rumors-scott-boras-dr-seuss-outlining-cody-bellinger-landing-spots');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB rumors: Scott Boras goes full Dr. Seuss when outlining Cody Bellinger landing spots');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Scott-Boras.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>MLB rumors: Scott Boras goes full Dr. Seuss when outlining Cody Bellinger landing spots</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-09T14:34:06-08:00">December 9th, 2:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-09T14:48:01-08:00">December 9th, 2:48pm</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy is a Senior Editor at ClutchPoints, with expertise in MLB, NHL and golf. Chris graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cincinnati Reds</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Cody Bellinger is one of the big names available in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-aaron-boone-hands-off-approach-cody-bellinger-free-agency">MLB free agency after a strong season with the New York Yankees</a>. Bellinger’s agent is Scott Boras, a super agent known for his quirky press conferences. According to Boras, there are eight teams vying for the outfielder. The way he told everyone, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, <a href="https://x.com/BryanHoch/status/1998437548142583821" rel="noopener">was something out</a> of a Dr. Seuss book.</p><p>“It’s not for me to Judge, but great players see Red if they have a big bat Yanked out of their lineup. I haven’t Met a team that Dodges a five-tool player. To Phil the center field need is a Giant step towards the playoffs. North and south outfielders that fly with power, they’re rare Birds. In the offseason, there’s a lot of startup to organizations, and for that reason, there’s a lot of Angel investors that are looking for very versatile outfielders. So other than that, Belli doesn’t have much interest.”</p><p>Boras dropped hints on eight teams that are asking about Bellinger. The Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles Angels are the teams. Overall, Boras did a nice job just saying the team’s name. “North…Birds” was a stretch, but it got the point across.</p><p>Bellinger is a former MVP from his time with the Dodgers. Now, after one great season with the Yankees, he has one last chance to cash in. He has the right teams involved, as many of the high-spending teams are in Boras’ riddle.</p><p>The Reds stick out as a small-market team that has thrown its hat in the ring for Bellinger. They tried to sign <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/phillies-news-orioles-matched-kyle-schwarber-offer-reds-pirates-just-behind">Kyle Schwarber, offering him a four-year deal</a> worth over $30 million per year. Bellinger likely will not sign a deal that short. But if they lengthen the Schwarber offer, they could stun the world.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB rumors: Scott Boras goes full Dr. Seuss when outlining Cody Bellinger landing spots

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-la-lands-vaughn-grissom-in-trade-with-red-sox');   ga('set', 'title', 'Angels land Vaughn Grissom in trade with Red Sox');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/LA-lands-Vaughn-Grissom-in-trade-with-Red-Sox.jpg"><figcaption>Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Angels land Vaughn Grissom in trade with Red Sox</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-09T11:48:13-08:00">December 9th, 11:48am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-09T12:07:41-08:00">December 9th, 12:07pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/chris.spiering.3" rel="facebook">Chris Spiering</a>Chris Spiering graduated from the University of San Diego with a Communication Studies Degree. He spent his final year as the Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris used to manage the betting team at ClutchPoints and now contributes about the NFL, MLB, NCAA Sports, and NBA, but he follows most sports, including NCAA Basketball. Chris also covers San Diego State men's basketball for East Village Times.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Angels</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox <a href="https://x.com/JeffPassan/status/1998477185578135947" rel="noopener">agreed on a trade on</a> Tuesday evening. Vaughn Grissom is going to the Angels from the Sox, according to MLB Insider Jeff Passan.</p><p>The Red Sox have been wheelin’ and dealin’ since the start of the offseason by making a handful of trades. The most notable trade was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-sonny-gray-yankees-receipt">acquiring starting pitcher Sonny Gray</a> from the St. Louis Cardinals. Now, the Sox have dealt away a promising infielder in Vaughn Grissom.</p><p>Mark Feinsand reported that outfielder <a href="https://x.com/Feinsand/status/1998479286953804154" rel="noopener">Isaiah Jackson is going back to the Red Sox</a> for Grissom.</p><p>Grissom did not have many opportunities with the Red Sox. In 31 games and 105 at-bats, Grissom hit .190 with a .465 OPS. He drove in only six runners with three extra-base hits. He performed much better with the Atlanta Braves the two years prior, before he was traded to Boston ahead of last season. In 2022, Grissom hit .291 with five homers and 18 RBIs.</p><p>This is a great trade for the Angels. Grissom has an opportunity to play at either shortstop or second base. Second base seems the likely option with Zach Neto and Yoan Moncada handling the left side of the infield. The Angels recently <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/baltimore-orioles/orioles-news-baltimore-land-angels-taylor-ward-grayson-rodriguez-trade">traded away Taylor Ward</a> to the Baltimore Orioles for Grayson Rodriguez. The Angels are trying to reshape their roster to compete in the American League.</p><p>Isaiah Jackson was Angels’ No. 25 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Jackson hit .219 with one home run, four RBIs, and a .668 OPS in 10 High A+ games in 2025. It is a very short sample size, so it is too early to tell how this trade can pan out for the Red Sox.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Angels land Vaughn Grissom in trade with Red Sox

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-los-angeles-consider-signing-pitchers-playoffs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Angels must consider signing these 3 pitchers to finally snap playoff drought');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Angels-must-consider-signing-these-3-pitchers-to-finally-snap-playoff-drought-2.jpg"></figure><h1>Angels must consider signing these 3 pitchers to finally snap playoff drought</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-06T08:42:28-08:00">December 6th, 8:42am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-06T08:43:24-08:00">December 6th, 8:43am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Angels</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Angels have failed to reach the postseason over the past decade. LA hasn’t played meaningful October baseball since 2014. Pitching has long been a problem for the Halos. While the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-la-agrees-1-95-million-ex-blue-jays-star-alek-manoah">Angels have added some pitching</a> already this offseason, there are three specific pitchers who they should consider singing amid their pursuit of snapping their postseason drought.</p><p>Mike Trout isn’t the player he once was. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-anthony-rendon-expected-retire-amid-contract-buyout-talks">Anthony Rendon may retire soon</a>. Still, pitching remains the area of need the ball club must address sooner rather than later.</p><p>Without further ado, here are three pitchers the Angels must consider signing in MLB free agency.</p><h2><b>Zac Gallen</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Arizona-Diamondbacks-starting-pitcher-Zac-Gallen-2.jpg"><figcaption>Robert Edwards-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>A 2023 All-Star, it’s no secret that Gallen did not have his best season in 2025. Despite pitching in 33 games, Gallen turned in a lackluster 4.83 ERA while walking a career-high 66 hitters. He still struck out 175 batters in his 192 innings of work, but it was a forgettable campaign overall for Gallen in his possible final year with the Arizona Diamondbacks.</p><p>Now a free agent, the 30-year-old may welcome the opportunity for a fresh start. Who wouldn’t want to pitch in beautiful Southern California? Sure, the Angels have struggled, but they play in a gorgeous ball park where the weather is often quite nice.</p><p>For the Angels, signing Gallen would give them a pitcher with a Cy Young ceiling — something they have desperately needed for years. Los Angeles hasn’t featured a true ace in a while. Even while Shohei Ohtani was in Anaheim, he was limited at times on the mound due to position player duties/injuries.</p><p>The Angels need an ace for the future, though. Gallen may be seeking a one-year prove it type of deal. If he’s open to signing a multi-year contract, bringing him to Orange County should be something the Halos seriously consider.</p><h2><b>Framber Valdez</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Framber-Valdez-with-Houston-Astros-1.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Not only would signing Valdez boost the Angels’ rotation, but the move would also deal a blow to their American League West rival, the Houston Astros.</p><p>Valdez is a two-time All-Star, most recently making an appearance in the Midsummer Classic in 2023. In 2025, he turned in a respectable 3.66 ERA while striking out 187 hitters across 192 innings.</p><p>The 32-year-old will probably be more open to signing a long-term deal than Gallen. Valdez has a proven track record and is possibly seeking his final large contract at the MLB level. Similarly to Gallen, Valdez would give the Angels a true ace.</p><h2><b>Michael King</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Mike-King.jpg"><figcaption>David Frerker-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><p>King, 30, worked as a versatile pitcher with the New York Yankees to begin his career, serving in both starting and relief roles. After landing with the San Diego Padres in 2024 as a result of a trade, King transitioned to a full-time starting pitcher — a decision that looks like a terrific move.</p><p>King finished the ’24 campaign with a 2.95 ERA and followed that up with a 3.44 ERA in 2025. He was limited to 15 games pitched in 2025, but his ceiling remains high nonetheless.</p><p>A move to Anaheim would allow King to remain in Southern California. The Angels would have their aforementioned much-needed ace as well.</p><p>King is another guy who will likely be open to agreeing to a long-term contract. At 30 years old, a team may be willing to offer him five or more years while paying him a lucrative amount of money.</p><p>The Angels need to make a big splash in the pitching market, and signing any of these three pitchers would help them accomplish that feat without question.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Angels must consider signing these 3 pitchers to finally snap playoff drought

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-la-agrees-1-95-million-ex-blue-jays-star-alek-manoah');   ga('set', 'title', 'Angels agree to $1.95 million contract with ex-Blue Jays star Alek Manoah');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Alek-Manoah-with-Blue-Jays.jpg"><figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Angels agree to $1.95 million contract with ex-Blue Jays star Alek Manoah</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-02T14:26:29-08:00">December 2nd, 2:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-02T14:47:14-08:00">December 2nd, 2:47pm</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy is a Senior Editor at ClutchPoints, with expertise in MLB, NHL and golf. Chris graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Angels</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Angels have already made a few significant moves to start the offseason. They traded <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/orioles-angels-trade-grades-taylor-ward-grayson-rodriguez">Taylor Walls to the Baltimore Orioles for the oft-injured pitcher Grayson Rodriguez</a>. On Tuesday, they made a similar gamble on a pitcher. The Angels <a href="https://x.com/JeffPassan/status/1995979067640750472" rel="noopener">have signed former</a> Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah to a one-year deal.</p><p>“Right-hander Alek Manoah and the Los Angeles Angels are in agreement on a one-year, $1.95 million contract, a source tells ESPN. Manoah, 27, was non-tendered by Atlanta and lands with the Angels on a fully guaranteed big league deal,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported.</p><p>Manoah has not pitched in the majors since May of 2024 due to elbow injuries. With the Blue Jays in the midst of a World Series run and trading for Shane Bieber, they moved on from Manoah. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-atlanta-claims-alek-manoah-blue-jays-release">Atlanta Braves picked him up after that,</a> but he never pitched in the organization. Now, the Angels are taking a gamble on the pitcher who finished third in Cy Young voting in 2022.</p><p>Anthony Rendon is no longer with the Angels, ending one of the worst contracts in the history of baseball. That could open up some money for the Halos to spend in free agency, although history would tell fans that is unlikely. Despite a poor season last year, they have added some high-ceiling gambles to their pitching staff.</p><p>Manoah finished third in Cy Young voting in 2022, behind Justin Verlander and Dylan Cease. He posted 16 wins with a 2.20 ERA, leading the Blue Jays to a 92-win season. But he struggled in his playoff start against the Seattle Mariners, allowing four runs in 5.2 innings.</p><p>There are plenty of great pitchers available, including Framber Valdez and Tatsuya Imai, in free agency. Manoah was a low-cost option for the Angels, something their fans are all too familiar with. What else will they do in the offseason?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Angels agree to $1.95 million contract with ex-Blue Jays star Alek Manoah

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-anthony-rendon-expected-retire-amid-contract-buyout-talks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Angels’ Anthony Rendon expected to retire amid contract buyout talks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Anthony-Rendon-in-the-Angels-dugout.jpg"><figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Angels’ Anthony Rendon expected to retire amid contract buyout talks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-26T12:46:50-08:00">November 26th, 12:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-26T14:01:09-08:00">November 26th, 2:01pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Angels</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-grayson-rodriguez-hopeful-recent-elbow-procedure">Angels could be losing one of their key players</a>, as Anthony Rendon is <a href="https://x.com/Alden_Gonzalez/status/1993776837680586931" rel="noopener">expected to retire</a>, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.</p><p>“NEWS: The Angels and Anthony Rendon are in talks about buying out the final year of his contract, according to a source. The expectation is that he will retire,” Gonzalez wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>This move could bring a resolution to his seven-year, $245 million deal, especially after he spent the entire 2025 season recovering from hip surgery. He’s owed $38 million in 2026, and it looks as if he’s bought out, he will defer part of the money, which will help the Angels as far as keeping financial flexibility.</p><p>If they can complete a buyout, he will have just played a quarter of the Angels’ games over the life of his deal. In 2019, the Angels made Rendon the highest-paid third baseman in the league after what he did with the Washington Nationals. When he was with the Nationals, he did it all on the mound, from hitting to defending at a high level.</p><p>In the past four years with the Angels, Rendon slashed just .231/.329/.336 while appearing in 205 of a potential 648 games. He had several injuries, such as left groin, left knee, left oblique, left shin, lower back, both wrists, and both hips. All of them made him go to the injured list at some point.</p><p>Earlier this year, the Angels announced that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-anthony-rendon-set-to-undergo-hip-surgery-ahead-of-2025-campaign">Rendon needed to undergo hip surgery</a> and miss the season. He spent most of his time away from the team as he rehabbed.</p><p>In total, he never played more than 58 games in a single season, and his last home run with the team was in July 2023. Not only did that hurt the Angels, but Mike Trout’s bad injury luck didn’t make things any better for the team over the past few years.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Angels’ Anthony Rendon expected to retire amid contract buyout talks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/mlb-stories/mlb-news-analyst-truth-bomb-angels-orioles-grayson-rodriguez-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Analyst says quiet part out loud about Angels-Orioles Grayson Rodriguez trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Angels-pitcher-Grayson-Rodriguez-in-Spring-Training-with-Orioles.jpg"><figcaption>Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Analyst says quiet part out loud about Angels-Orioles Grayson Rodriguez trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-25T11:07:19-08:00">November 25th, 11:07am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-25T11:08:18-08:00">November 25th, 11:08am</time><address><a>Yasmin Edañol</a>Yasmin D.G. Edañol is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with a background in scientific research and publishing. He brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it's breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Angels</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/baltimore-orioles/orioles-news-baltimore-land-angels-taylor-ward-grayson-rodriguez-trade">Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles stunned MLB fans with a deal built on risk, confusion, and a loud ripple of disbelief</a>, leaving supporters on both sides trying to make sense of a swap that felt more puzzling than predictable. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-la-grayson-rodriguez-update-taylor-ward-trade">One year of Taylor Ward for four years of Grayson Rodriguez is a strange equation</a>, and the reaction across the league hasn’t softened since the first alert hit. Under the stadium lights of a winter news cycle, the Angels trade feels like a riddle no one can answer cleanly.</p><p>That tone sharpened when one analyst finally said the <a href="https://x.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1993090753908670597" rel="noopener">quiet part out loud</a>.</p><p>“One year of Taylor Ward for four years of Grayson Rodriguez and man, there is a smell with this trade that people aren’t sure how to process,” he said, pointing directly at the unease forming around the deal. He didn’t stop there. “Grayson Rodriguez hasn’t pitched since August 2024. Basically this whole thing comes down to everyone being freaked out by the Angels as an organization.” His words landed hard because they echoed what many fans were already whispering — this wasn’t just about talent. It was about trust.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">One year of Taylor Ward for four years of Grayson Rodriguez is such a strange trade <a href="https://t.co/4QtJqLJiM3">pic.twitter.com/4QtJqLJiM3</a></p><p>— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) <a href="https://twitter.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1993090753908670597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2>A doubt-filled Angels and Orioles deal built on desperation</h2><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-what-taylor-ward-texted-teammates-after-orioles-trade">Orioles saw a chance to add a proven bat in Taylor Ward</a>. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-grayson-rodriguez-hopeful-recent-elbow-procedure">Angels saw a chance to reset their rotation with a young arm, even if it meant absorbing every red flag</a>. But the tension comes from timing. Trading for a pitcher with an injury history raises eyebrows anywhere. Making that move inside an Angels organization long criticized for its starting pitching triggers an even sharper reaction. “Sure, trading for a pitcher with an injury history… there’s just this weird concept of it,” the analyst added. He stopped there, choosing to let the unfinished thought speak for itself.</p><p>Both the Orioles and Angels bet on upside. Only one will be right. And fans on both sides now wait for the first pitch of 2026 to reveal which vision holds its ground when the lights get bright.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Analyst says quiet part out loud about Angels-Orioles Grayson Rodriguez trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-grayson-rodriguez-hopeful-recent-elbow-procedure');   ga('set', 'title', 'Grayson Rodriguez ‘hopeful’ after most recent elbow procedure');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Grayson-Rodriguez_30a619.jpg"><figcaption>Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Grayson Rodriguez ‘hopeful’ after most recent elbow procedure</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-22T03:36:52-08:00">November 22nd, 3:36am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-22T03:55:36-08:00">November 22nd, 3:55am</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is a veteran editor and writer for print and digital media. He also created and oversaw video and event production departments for legacy media brands. Mike is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Angels</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There’s no way Grayson Rodriguez could know it at the time but an innocuous start in July 2024 would be his last for the Baltimore Orioles. Rodriguez would be a late injury scratch the following week. And then he’d sit out the rest of his sophomore season and the entire 2025 campaign with a string of lat and elbow injuries. After months on the IL, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/baltimore-orioles/orioles-news-grayson-rodriguez-undergoes-successful-elbow-surgery">Rodriguez opted to undergo elbow surgery</a> in August.</p><p>The procedure removed bone spurs that the pitcher believes had been causing his chronic injury issues. Feeling back to his old self and ready for spring training 2026, Rodriguez learned he’d been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/orioles-angels-trade-grades-taylor-ward-grayson-rodriguez">traded to the Los Angeles Angels</a>. And, to his surprise, the team was confident in his health. So much so that the Angels didn’t require a physical before completing the trade.</p><p>Rodriguez is grateful to <a href="https://x.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/1991972491842257200" rel="noopener">move forward</a> with his new team. “Getting these bone spurs out has been a huge relief. Hopefully, this is all behind us and in the past,” Rodriguez said, per Foul Territory. “Obviously you don’t want to go through a season like I had last year where you don’t even throw an inning. But you can kinda just look back and reflect… and just move on.”</p><h2><b>Grayson Rodriguez embraces move to Angels</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Grayson-Rodriguez-2.jpg"><figcaption>Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-la-grayson-rodriguez-update-taylor-ward-trade">Rodriguez is ready to start fresh with the Angels</a>. But he’s still amazed at the journey he took over the last two years.</p><p>“I’ve tried to see just about every doctor there is to try to figure out [what’s causing the recurrence]. You know, there’s no surgery required for any of this… You’re just trying to figure out why it keeps happening…. And everybody we spoke with, we all kinda came back to the same conclusion of having the bone spurs in there and the elbow not being able to get to full extension,” Rodriguez explained.</p><p>“If you can’t get out there [and fully extend], you can’t slow your arm down quick enough, your lat’s firing twice as hard. It’s having to work just as much, so it all kinda comes back to the same conclusion.”</p><p>Fortunately, elbow surgery broke the vicious cycle Rodriguez was trapped in. Now the 26-year-old righty will attempt to move on with the Angels.</p><p>Los Angeles made the most of Taylor Ward’s expiring contract and traded the power-hitting outfielder for Rodriguez, who’s under club control until the 2028 season. It was a gutsy move by the Angles. But one that could pay off if the pitcher, now healthy, returns to form.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Grayson Rodriguez ‘hopeful’ after most recent elbow procedure

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-fans-will-love-kurt-suzuki-message-new-hitting-coach-brady-anderson');   ga('set', 'title', 'Angels fans will love Kurt Suzuki’s 1st message to new hitting coach Brady Anderson');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Former-Orioles-star-Brady-Anderson-tips-his-hat-to-fans-before-a-2017-game.jpg"><figcaption>Michael Owens-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Angels fans will love Kurt Suzuki’s 1st message to new hitting coach Brady Anderson</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-21T16:05:46-08:00">November 21st, 4:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-21T16:06:20-08:00">November 21st, 4:06pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Angels</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Angels are seemingly trying to obtain a strong pitching identity, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-kurt-suzuki-hired-as-los-angeles-manager">hiring former catcher Kurt Suzuki</a> to be their manager, bringing in World Series-winning pitching coach Mike Maddux and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-what-taylor-ward-texted-teammates-after-orioles-trade">trading slugging outfielder Taylor Ward</a> to the Baltimore Orioles for promising right-hander Grayson Rodriguez. However, this squad still has plenty of offensive issues that need to be addressed, and it is trusting three-time All-Star Brady Anderson to help fix them.</p><p>The 15-year outfielder, who spent the majority of his MLB career with the Baltimore Orioles, will be the Angels’ new hitting coach. Suzuki debuted with the Oakland Athletics five years after Anderson retired in 2002, but he clearly has a considerable amount of respect for him. The 2019 champion and new Halos skipper <a href="https://x.com/JonHeyman/status/1991983926387290119" rel="noopener">shared his enthusiasm</a> about the latest addition to his coaching staff.</p><p>“I’m really excited about Brady,” Suzuki said, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman. “He’s gonna be great. Once we get the whole staff rounded out, I’ll definitely talk more about it. I appreciate it!”</p><h2><b>The Angels’ lineup has much to work on</b></h2><p>Los Angeles struggled in every major hitting category except for home runs, which could become an issue now that 36 dingers just got shipped out to Baltimore. The team ranked last in batting average (.225) and doubles, 28th in on-base percentage (.298) and finished in the bottom-10 for OPS, runs scored and triples. Anderson’s career numbers were not stellar, but he reached base at a high rate (.362), found some success as a contact hitter and posted a much-discussed 50-homer season.</p><p>Furthermore, the former left-handed batter can bring an old-school perspective to the clubhouse. Kurt Suzuki, who turned 42 in October, continues to bring in more experienced individuals to assist him in rejuvenating the Angels. Brady Anderson, Mike Maddux and bench coach John Gibbons are all over 60 years of age. This trio has a wealth of baseball wisdom to share with the first-year manager, who has already spent close to two decades in the game himself.</p><p>Suzuki hopes that his version of the Angels is both balanced and prepared. Fans will understandably remain hesitant until proven otherwise, but there is certainly intrigue forming in Anaheim.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Angels fans will love Kurt Suzuki’s 1st message to new hitting coach Brady Anderson

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-grayson-rodriguez-surprising-admission-la-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Grayson Rodriguez makes surprising admission about Angels trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Grayson-Rodriguez-1.jpg"><figcaption>Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Grayson Rodriguez makes surprising admission about Angels trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-21T12:43:12-08:00">November 21st, 12:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-21T12:43:12-08:00">November 21st, 12:43pm</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut-based sports journalist with over five years of professional experience. After graduating from Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism, he has covered every sport from fencing to football in the online and print medium. Dan hopes to see his beloved Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Angels</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-grayson-rodriguez-pivotal-injury-update-orioles-trade">Los Angeles Angels started their offseason with a surprising trade</a>, acquiring Grayson Rodriguez from the Baltimore Orioles for Taylor Ward. Perhaps the only thing more shocking was Rodriguez’s recent revelation.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/baltimore-orioles/orioles-news-grayson-rodriguez-undergoes-successful-elbow-surgery">right-hander dealt with numerous injuries throughout his Orioles career</a>. And yet, the Angels <a href="https://x.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1991958543478706536" rel="noopener">didn’t have him take a physical</a> before agreeing to the trade, via Foul Territory.</p><p>“I got a call, ‘You’ve been traded to the Angels, this is a done deal.’ There’s no physicals,” Rodriguez said. “We’re good to go.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Grayson Rodriguez says he wasn't required to get a physical before being traded to the Angels. <a href="https://t.co/qwvBvwBXrT">pic.twitter.com/qwvBvwBXrT</a></p><p>— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1991958543478706536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Rodriguez is adamant that he is fully healthy and will be ready for spring training. The Angels must be fully confident too as they agreed to the trade. However, it’s certainly a risk by Los Angeles considering Rodriguez’s injury history.</p><p>The right hander missed the entire 2025 season with elbow and lat injuries, ultimately undergoing surgery for the former issue. He’s had plenty of time to rehab the injury, but Rodriguez is a bit of a wild card entering the 2026 season.</p><p>Los Angeles was willing to take the chance, partially because he is under team control through the 2029 season. Furthermore, the last time Rodriguez was on the mound in 2024, he put up 3.86 ERA and a 130/36 K/BB ratio over his 20 starts.</p><p>Still, the Angels need Rodriguez to last over the course of an entire season to be a true asset. If he can remain on the diamond and put up the numbers he did in 2024 or better, then he’d be a steal for Los Angeles. But based on his past injury situation, that is a big if.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Grayson Rodriguez makes surprising admission about Angels trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-what-taylor-ward-texted-teammates-after-orioles-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Here’s what Taylor Ward texted Angels teammates after learning of Orioles trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Orioles-OF-Taylor-Ward-with-Angels-OF-Mike-Trout.jpg?w=1024"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Here’s what Taylor Ward texted Angels teammates after learning of Orioles trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-20T12:06:12-08:00">November 20th, 12:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-20T12:06:12-08:00">November 20th, 12:06pm</time><address><a href="https://linktr.ee/jordan.llanes">Jordan Llanes</a>Jordan Llanes is a sports writer and reporter based in Florida. In addition to ClutchPoints, he writes for a few other publications covering the NFL, college sports and Tottenham Hotspur. When he's not writing, Jordan enjoys spending time with his fiancée, cats, family and friends, as well as catching the latest TV shows and movies, and traveling.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Angels</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The first major trade of the MLB offseason occurred on Tuesday night, as the Los Angeles <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/orioles-angels-trade-grades-taylor-ward-grayson-rodriguez">Angels sent outfielder Taylor Ward</a> to the Baltimore Orioles for starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez. As both teams look to put a disappointing 2025 behind them, Ward and Rodriguez are prepared to travel to their new homes. After the deal, the Athletic’s Sam Blum shared Ward’s words to his former Angels teammates via <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6823887/2025/11/20/taylor-ward-reflects-trade-angels-orioles/" rel="noopener">their 2025 group text thread.</a></p><p>“Just telling them how much I cared about them. I’ll be rooting for them,” Ward said of his text in a phone interview with Blum. “I wish nothing but the best for them all. And if anybody wants to chat, they can text me on the side.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/baltimore-orioles/orioles-news-baltimore-land-angels-taylor-ward-grayson-rodriguez-trade">Ward is coming off</a> a career year with the Angels. Despite hitting .228, Ward’s 36 home runs and 103 RBIs helped pace the Halos’ offense, alongside fellow outfielder Jo Adell’s breakout campaign. The Orioles need a power bat like Ward in the heart of their lineup, and they have pitching to spare. Now, it’s up to the outfielder to build on his best season yet in Baltimore. Will this trade work out for both Ward and the Angels?</p><h2><b>Angels, Taylor Ward set to take separate paths moving forward</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Angels-SP-Grayson-Rodriguez-with-Orioles.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While Ward is set to join an Orioles lineup filled with young, emerging stars like shortstop Gunnar Henderson, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-angels/1-specific-reason-grayson-rodriguez-is-excited-to-join-angels-after-trade">Rodriguez is primed to pitch</a> his first game in the majors since July 2024, when he suited up for Baltimore. While Yusei Kikuchi is a lock to return to the Halos’ rotation, there are many questions behind him, including Rodriguez.</p><p>Yet, this deal could work out well for both sides. While both the Angels and Orioles missed the postseason last year, Baltimore is closer to returning than Los Angeles. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/baltimore-orioles/orioles-rumors-kyle-tucker-pursuit-still-table-taylor-ward-trade">Ward is one of</a> the few pieces they were missing, in theory. Can the slugging outfielder not only build on a career year in 2026, but do so away from his first major league home with the Halos? If so, losing Rodriguez will indeed be worth it.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Here’s what Taylor Ward texted Angels teammates after learning of Orioles trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/los-angeles-angels/1-specific-reason-grayson-rodriguez-is-excited-to-join-angels-after-trade');   ga('set', 'title', '1 specific reason Grayson Rodriguez is excited to join Angels after trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Angels-SP-Grayson-Rodriguez-with-Orioles.jpg?w=1024"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>1 specific reason Grayson Rodriguez is excited to join Angels after trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-20T11:17:30-08:00">November 20th, 11:17am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-20T11:17:30-08:00">November 20th, 11:17am</time><address><a href="https://linktr.ee/jordan.llanes">Jordan Llanes</a>Jordan Llanes is a sports writer and reporter based in Florida. In addition to ClutchPoints, he writes for a few other publications covering the NFL, college sports and Tottenham Hotspur. When he's not writing, Jordan enjoys spending time with his fiancée, cats, family and friends, as well as catching the latest TV shows and movies, and traveling.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Angels</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After another disappointing season in 2025, the Los Angeles <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-kurt-suzukis-contract-length-gives-him-albert-pujols-treatment">Angels have a new manager</a> in Kurt Suzuki. Although the former big-league catcher is signed to just a one-year deal, respected veteran pitching coach Mike Maddux elected to join him at Angel Stadium. The presence of Maddux <a href="https://x.com/RhettBollinger/status/1991253638824546459" rel="noopener">is one major reason why</a> new starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez is excited to begin with the Angels, per team beat reporter Rhett Bollinger on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>“Grayson Rodriguez doesn’t believe his mechanics are in need of a major overhaul,” posted Bollinger on Wednesday afternoon. “But he’s excited to work with veteran pitching coach Mike Maddux and is willing to make tweaks. He found out he was traded after landing in Tampa to work at the Orioles’ Spring Training complex.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-grayson-rodriguez-pivotal-injury-update-orioles-trade">Rodriguez has been out due</a> to injuries since July 2024. Multiple different ailments, such as his back, elbow, and shoulder, have kept him off the mound. Now, he’ll look to build a fresh start out West under the tutelage of Maddux. Despite the odd coaching situation, it’s clear that Maddux has his work cut out for him. Can the longtime pitching guru solve the Angels’ pitching woes once and for all?</p><h2><b>Can Mike Maddux help turn around the Angels’ pitching staff?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Angels-pitching-coach-Mike-Maddux-with-Rangers.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-angels/angels-news-la-grayson-rodriguez-update-taylor-ward-trade">Rodriguez is set to join</a> an Angels rotation including Yusei Kikuchi, Caden Dana, and other options. It’s certainly possible that GM Perry Minasian continues to hunt for more pitching help this offseason, as the Halos’ starting rotation is filled with question marks. Those include the health of Rodriguez and the continued development of young starters like Dana.</p><p>That doesn’t include the bullpen, which has several young, intriguing options, such as Ben Joyce and Ryan Zeferjahn. The lack of bona fide options throughout the staff means <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/texas-rangers/rangers-news-pitching-coach-leaving-jacob-degrom-texas-al-west-rival">Maddux will have his work</a> cut out for him. If the longtime pitching coach can unlock the potential of the Angels’ pitching staff, then Suzuki and Minasian may once again be in charge come next winter.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

1 specific reason Grayson Rodriguez is excited to join Angels after trade

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	HOLDS	SAVES
24	2.25	15	1.125	1	0

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	HOLDS	SAVES
24	2.25	15	1.125	1	0

Ben
Joyce

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• 1 specific reason Grayson Rodriguez is excited to join Angels after trade