Angels top trade candidate is righty slugger with 208 career homers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Los Angeles Angels have begun the season with a decent 11-12 record, and are only 0.5 game back for the AL West lead.If the Angels were to continue playing well enough to stay competitive in the AL West by the trade deadline, they might not sell anyone, as they've had a propensity to hold onto their own players when they maybe should've sold.However, if things unravel and the Angels are open to selling, ESPN's David Schoenfield called out career 208-homer slugger Jorge Soler as the Angels' top trade candidate this season.Angels' Jorge Soler named top trade candidate"Trade candidate: Jorge Soler (FA)," Schoenfield writes.

"... Soler could be one of the few big hitters available if the Angels fade, but they're usually unwilling to admit that they're out of it (see Shohei Ohtani in 2023)."Coming into the 2026 MLB season, the Angels weren't viewed as a postseason contender. While they might be within striking distance come the trade deadline, the team should still consider selling off players on expiring deals.Soler, the righty slugger who was recently suspended after getting into a brawl with the Atlanta Braves and pitcher Reynaldo Lopez, is someone who could be on the move.More: Shohei Ohtani deemed more valuable than Aaron Judge in recent ESPN discussion pieceHe is in the final year of his deal, and with an .830 OPS and five homers through 69 at-bats so far this season, trading him away would make a lot of sense for the Angels if they're not competing for a World Series.Even though Mike Trout might be back to All-Star levels, and Jose Soriano looks to be an ace, the Angels still need a lot of work to be done for their roster to turn things around.Trading a red-hot Soler to a contender for some solid prospects in return would make a lot of sense. The 13-year MLB veteran has put up 6.7 bWAR and 208 homers in his career, but he has produced well this season, and could fetch a decent return this year.More MLB news:Braves predicted to trade Bryce Elder for Lars NootbaarJacob DeGrom is only 149 strikeouts from 2,000 for his careerThree ways Pirates' Paul Skenes could lose NL Cy Young AwardMets didn’t want to trade Brett Baty while White Sox didn’t want Mark Vientos in Luis Robert Jr. tradeRed Sox never close on Astros’ Isaac Paredes trade