The Angels were set to acquire outfielder Josh Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team trade on Thursday night, adding a much-needed left-handed bat to their lineup.
In the reported deal, which is expected to be approved by Major League Baseball and announced on Friday, the Angels would send left-handed reliever Brock Burke to the Cincinnati Reds and minor league right-hander Chris Clark to the Rays, while the Reds would send infielder Gavin Lux to the Rays.
Lowe, who will be 28 next month, has played mostly right field during his five-year big league career. He has played 25 games in center. It’s unclear how the Angels plan to use him. They currently have no obvious center fielder, with Jo Adell in one corner and Mike Trout and Jorge Soler likely to split time between the other corner and DH.
Lowe has been a slightly below average defensive outfielder the past few years, according to Baseball Savant.
Whatever position Lowe plays, he provides the Angels with another left-handed bat. Prior to the deal, the only left-handed hitter in the Angels’ everyday lineup was first baseman Nolan Schanuel.
Lowe hit .220 with 11 home runs and a .650 OPS last season with the Rays. Lowe had a .727 OPS against righties last season, compared with .459 against lefties, suggesting he would be most useful in a platoon.
His best season was 2023, when he hit 20 homers with an .835 OPS.
Last season, Lowe struck out in 25% of his plate appearances, which is slightly worse than average. He walked in 8%, which is about the major league average.
Lowe has missed time with oblique injuries each of the past two seasons. He finished last season healthy.
Lowe, who is signed for $2.6 million for 2026, has two more years of arbitration before he’s eligible for free agency.
The deal is basically neutral in terms of salary, because Burke was set to make $2.325 million in his final year before free agency.
Burke had a 3.36 ERA in 69 games last season. The Angels previously replaced him as the top lefty in the bullpen by signing Drew Pomeranz earlier this winter.
Clark had a 4.73 ERA in the Angels’ system last year, pitching as high as Double-A.