MLB Trade Deadline: Angels deal outfielder Jo Adell to Guardians, ending 10-year tenure with club
After 10 years in the Los Angeles Angels organization, outfielder Jo Adell is moving on to a new team.
Adell was traded to the Cleveland Guardians before Monday’s MLB trade deadline, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported. That ends a tenure with the club that began when he was the Angels’ 2017 first-round pick (No. 10 overall) out of Ballard High School in Louisville, Kentucky.
Last season appeared to be Adell’s breakout campaign with the Angels with 37 home runs and 98 RBI. Though he posted a slash line of .236/.293/.485, which follows the trend of the outfielder’s career. His career slash average is .224/.279/.412 in seven seasons.
This season, Adell has 16 homers, 16 doubles and 62 RBI, while batting .239 with a .682 OPS.
During his MLB career, Adell has been more known for his defense. Early this season, he prevented three home runs versus the Seattle Mariners, catching deep drives before they could go over the fence. Former Angels outfielder Torii Hunter called Adell’s performance in that April 4 game “the greatest defensive game I’ve ever seen.”
JO SAID NO 🙅 pic.twitter.com/bRflz01SXd
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 5, 2026
Going to the Angels in return is catcher Jacob Cozart, who was playing with the Guardians’ Double-A affiliate and batting .256 with a .720 OPS.
Adell provides a needed right-handed bat for Cleveland. Against left-handed pitching, he has a .303/.339/.571 slash average with 10 homers and 29 RBI.
With rookie Chase DeLauter playing well in right field (and hitting left-handed pitching well as a lefty batter), the question might be whether Adell plays center field for the Guardians. He’s mostly been a right fielder during his career, but has made 107 appearances in center.
Petey Halpin has been Cleveland’s primary center fielder this season, batting .213 with a .560 OPS. A left-handed batter, his slash average is .044/.080/.044 in 26 plate appearances versus left-handed pitching.
